CEBU, Philippines - This month of November we observe cancer pain awareness. Pain in cancer is the most unendurable situation that might happen to a patient. It may arise from a tumor compressing or infiltrating the tissue; from treatments and diagnostic procedures; or from changes in the skin, nerve and other parts and systems of the body caused either by the body's immune response or by hormones released by the tumor.
The most acute (short-term) pain is caused by treatment or diagnostic procedures, though radiotherapy and chemotherapy may produce painful conditions that persist long after treatment has ended. At any given time, about half of all patients with malignant cancer are experiencing pain, and more than a third of them experience moderate or severe pain that diminishes their quality of life by adversely affecting mood, sleep, social relations and activities of daily living.
Cancer pain is common in patients suffering from the illness in its late stage. This pain is called chronic pain. Chronic cancer pain is no longer a warning and has little meaning except as a reminder of an illness. Chronic pain, defined by duration, may persist for weeks, months, or years. Cancer pain can be eliminated or well controlled in 80 to 90 percent of cases by the use of drugs, such as pain relievers (e.g. morphine and other interventions). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in two patients receives less-than-optimal care in terms of controlling cancer pain.
One way also of coping with cancer pain is the use of pain management or palliative care management, which is an area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients. Palliative care is appropriate for patients in all disease stages, including those undergoing treatment for curable illnesses and those living with chronic diseases, as well as patients who are nearing the end of life.
Palliative medicine utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, relying on input from physicians, pharmacists, nurses, chaplains, social workers, psychologists and other allied health professionals in formulating a plan of care to relieve suffering in all areas of a patient's life. This multidisciplinary approach allows the palliative care team to address physical, emotional, spiritual and social concerns that arise with advanced illness.
Medications and treatments are said to have a palliative effect if they relieve symptoms without having a curative effect on the underlying disease or cause. This can include treating nausea related to chemotherapy.
According to Mr. Ronald delos Reyes, program coordinator of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC), palliative care is focused on promoting the quality of life of the patient. Because these patients are in need of assistance in their daily lives, it is also one way of relieving their anxiety from the cancer pain they are suffering. It is because the patients are not just experiencing physical pain alone, they are also experiencing mental and emotional pain.
As part of palliative care approach, the palliative healthcare team involves the family in dealing with the patient. Family members are taught how to properly approach and deal with the patient who is in pain. It has been established that support of the family is essential for the patient to survive cancer, it is likewise equally important in relieving the pain of cancer. (Sources: www.wikepedia.org, www.getpalliativecare.org, www.us.wom.com, www.theonc.org, www.ask.com)
For more information about EJACC and its services, please contact Ronald Delos Reyes or Gina Mariquit at 254-6351 or 256-3287. (FREEMAN)