Pain and side effects as a part of cancer

For pain in particular, it can develop from a variety of causes (which we list below) and may be either acute or chronic.

The important thing to know about cancer pain (and other negative side effects of treatment) is that you don’t have to live with it. There exists a variety of methods to offer varying degrees of relief to these symptoms.

Acute versus chronic pain: Acute pain tends to come on quickly, feels sharper, and generally goes away when the underlying cause is treated. Chronic pain is felt most days of the week, and doesn’t go away for three to six months or longer.

For example, tumours can grow to press on bones, muscle tissue and nerves, causing pain over time. Nerve pain can also cause what’s known as ‘referred pain’, where pain runs along the nerve and you feel it somewhere else in the body. Additionally, treatment such as chemotherapy, bone marrow sampling and spinal tapping ca

Doctors may prescribe painkillers or anti-inflammatories, or in very specific cases, opioids. Massage, acupuncture and relaxation techniques may aid with treating pain, as can pain management skills. To learn more about some of these, have a read of our chronic pain page.

Common side effects of cancer treatment include:

• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Changes in appetite
• Hair loss
• Digestive problem

Loss of appetite and nausea in particular can deprive the body of nourishment at a time when it is important to maintain your strength. Thankfully, most of these side effects will go away with time. If they don’t – or if you want to try some additional remedies – relaxation techniques, healthy eating and gentle exercise have been known to help with some of them. However, if you’re concerned about any particular symptom, it’s best to talk to your doctor and seek medical advice.

In one study, researchers found that patients administered with medicinal cannabis (delta-9 THC (27 mg/ml)) reported “significant benefits” to their symptoms of cancer pain. The results were most common in patients the researchers suspected had been receiving lower opioid doses. Source

Medicinal cannabis was also found to be “highly effective” at helping older-aged palliative care patients with symptoms connected to advanced cancer, with the number of patients experiencing pain cut in half. Researchers noted there were some memory loss side effects, but that this may be associated with comedications and the advanced age of participants. Source

In a UK paper, THC:CBD extract, administered over a two-week period, was found to reduce chronic pain associated with advanced cancer in patients who had found opioids inadequate. Twice as many patients in the THC:CBD group showed a 30% reduction in pain when compared to placebo. Source

Two studies found evidence to suggest a compound found in medicinal cannabis, THC, may have links to negating nausea in chemotherapy patients. In one, a combination of medicinal cannabis and prochlorperazine worked effectively at controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. In the other, researchers found nausea/vomiting to be less severe in those treated with THC. Source 1, Source 2

Case study: A patient of ovarian cancer wrote for Healthline about her experiences with cancer pain and medicinal cannabis. While she experienced weight and hair loss, exhaustion, and blistering, she credits her lack of nausea/vomiting with taking 1g of medicinal cannabis extracts in pill form each day. Her appetite also improved. Source