Cancer: Definition,

Epidemiology, and Pain

Management
Topic: Cancer Words: 650 Pages: 2

Cancer is a grave disease that is highly lethal and often delivers a

slow and painful death at later stages. Cancer is estimated to reveal
itself in as many as 100 types. Statistically, in 2008 the mortality rate
from cancer was at the level of 62% (Siegel, Ma, Zou, & Jemal, 2014).
Global prevalence of various types of cancer in 2008 constituted 12.7
million (Siegel et al., 2014). Since the cases are so frequent and pain
is present in most of them, there is a necessity for intervention that
will help increase the quality of life at later stages of the disease
development.

Definition
Cancer is an umbrella term for more than one hundred types of
diseases that all share common pattern of growth and multiplication
of malignant cells in tissues and organs. As the disease progresses,
tumors form, which at later stages transfer their cells into other
parts of the body developing other tumors (Siegel et al., 2014). In
juxtaposition with benign tumors, malignant ones are highly
dangerous and often lethal if no timely intervention is effected.

Epidemiology
Across the US there was 1,660, 290 documented cases of cancer in
2014 (Siegel et al., 2014). In a more recent study that tracked the
incidence of pain based on self-reported data, it was estimated that
mild to severe pain persisted in 64% cases. Even though the
knowledge of extreme pain during the late stages is almost universal
among professionals, according to recent surveys, around 30% of
doctors do not refer their cancer patients to pain specialists (Siegel
et al., 2014). That is one of the prime reasons for selection of
education on pain management as an intervention for study.

Clinical Presentation
Symptoms vary across the cancer population depending on the type
of cancer and the stage of its progression. The most common types
of pain include Nociceptive, Viceral, Neuropathic or Incidental pain
(Smith & Saiki, 2015). The pain is often associated with nerve
pressure, damage to nervous system done by cancer cells or
treatment, bone or organ tissue damage dealt by cancer cells or
treatment (Smith & Saiki, 2015).

Complications
Pain that is associated with movement often diverts patients from
any activity that triggers pain and due to that fact, the comfort and
quality of life are undermined (Smith & Saiki, 2015). The milder cases
of pain can distract people from their activities. Complications may
also arise from pain therapy such as narcotic analgesia that leads to
development of unhealthy addiction to the used drug (Smith & Saiki,
2015). The urgency of the task of raising awareness of these
complications became one of the reasons for choosing education as
a topic for study.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of pain can be complicated by cancer patients’ choice to
conceal this information due to a lack of desire to show their
physical or psychological vulnerability. In such patients, close
observation of movement and face expressions together with
palpating could be seen as preferable strategies for pain
identification (Smith & Saiki, 2015). In cases when a patient is willing
to cooperate, a set of questions aimed at locating the source and
nature of pain is also helpful for devising an adequate pain
management plan and education strategy (Smith & Saiki, 2015).
Conclusion
Considerations for pain management can and should be derived
from the type of cancer and the stage of its progression. Thus, an
education strategy needs to be built on that data gathered through
one of diagnostic methods. Education seems to be a necessary
intervention based on the prevalence of pain therapy non-inclusion
and the high incidence of painful cancer cases. On the basis of the
gathered background information the following PICOT question was
devised: In adults with cancer (P), how effective are education
programs (I) about pain management and options for pain treatment
verses no education (C) program in improving patient comfort while
battling cancer (O) over a 6 month time period (T)?

References
Siegel, R., Ma, J., Zou, Z., & Jemal, A. (2014). Cancer statistics, 2014.
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 64(1), 9-29.

Smith, T. J., & Saiki, C. B. (2015). Cancer pain management. Mayo

Clinic Proceedings, 90(10), pp. 1428-1439.