International Association for the Study of Pain | Global Year Against Cancer Pain

I am pleased to announce that IASP is launching the 2008–2009 Global Year Against Cancer Pain to focus attention on the pain and suffering faced by people with cancer. Through this campaign, IASP seeks to provide a voice to those with cancer-related pain by “Raising Awareness, Improving Treatment, and Growing Support.” We hope the program will serve as an important first step toward reducing cancer-related pain and suffering for people around the world.

Throughout the year, IASP’s members and chapters will organize various programs and events designed to highlight the issues associated with cancer pain. Specifically, these efforts will encourage and promote:

Proper assessment and management of cancer pain by knowledgeable clinicians
Increased access to appropriate treatments for cancer pain
More research on the underlying biology of cancer pain
Development of new therapies to relieve the pain and suffering of cancer patients

In addition, IASP and its chapters will initiate Global Year media efforts in support of this program to educate health-care providers, government leaders and agencies, and the general public about the issues surrounding cancer pain. We invite you to join us in drawing attention to this vital issue, and we urge you to contact your local IASP chapter for more information on activities and other ways to get involved in your area.

With your support and active participation, we can help to reduce the pain and suffering of people with cancer around the world.

Best wishes,

G. F. Gebhart, IASP President

Why Cancer Pain?

For the more than 10 million people worldwide who are diagnosed with some form of cancer each year, pain associated with their condition is a serious concern. Although pain is not necessarily inevitable for everyone with cancer, it is common. Approximately one-third of adults who are actively receiving treatment for cancer and two-thirds of those with advanced malignant disease experience pain. Children with cancer have similar pain experiences. While increasing numbers of medical professionals and governments are beginning to place more attention on the pain suffered by long-term survivors of cancer, much more research is needed.

The consequences of unrelieved cancer pain are devastating and can include functional impairment, immobility, social isolation, and emotional and spiritual distress. In some cases, cancer pain that is not managed can lead to the cessation of potentially curative therapies, ultimately having a negative impact on the patient’s survival. Cancer patients express greater fear of dying in pain (i.e., suffering) than dying. Family and friends also suffer as they witness the pain and anguish experienced by a loved one with cancer.

Every country, community, and family in the world is affected by cancer and its related pain. Focusing on a central theme of “Raising Awareness ▪ Improving Treatment ▪ Growing Support,” this yearlong campaign aims to foster greater understanding of the serious pain cancer patients often confront and, ultimately, provide more effective and accessible treatment options to minimize pain and suffering.

Cancer Pain Issues

Barriers to effective pain treatment
Although many types of cancer can be diagnosed and treated early, and more patients are being cured every year, statistics show that far too many cancer patients experience cancer-related pain. There are several reasons behind this problem. Most notably, patients are often denied sufficient pain medication due to opiophobia (fear of opioids) among doctors, nurses, patients, and family members. Governmental restrictions on pain medication, as well as patients’ financial limitations, can also affect an individual’s access to effective pain medications, including opioids.

In addition, as increasing numbers of cancer patients survive, a variety of treatment-related chronic pain issues has surfaced, including:

Post-surgery pain
Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain
Anti-estrogen therapy-related musculoskeletal pain
Radiotherapy-induced pain

Factors affecting cancer pain
For many patients around the world, cancer remains a terrifying disease that often produces uncertainties and losses not only for the patient, but for his or her loved ones as well. We know that several factors can directly impact the ability to control a patient’s pain, such as:

Emotions, including anxiety and depression
Cognition, such as a person’s confidence in his or her ability to cope with pain, pain catastrophizing, and hopelessness
Social context, including the support a patient receives from his or her partner or family

These factors, along with the physical, tissue, and nerve-injury-related components of pain, are all core contributors to cancer pain. Once we gain a better understanding of the neurophysiological basis of how psychosocial processes modulate pain, we will be better positioned to treat and manage the pain more effectively. Moreover, this enhanced understanding will enable us to identify psychosocial interventions that can further reduce the pain and suffering associated with cancer pain.

For more information on these and other pain issues affecting people with cancer, please click here to view our fact sheets, or click here to view the press release.

Acknowledgements

IASP would like to thank the following members of the Global Year Task Force for their contributions:

Eija Anneli Kalso, Co-Chair (Finland), Judith A. Paice, Co-Chair (USA), Rae F. Bell (Norway), Liliana De Lima (USA), Marie T. Fallon (UK), Kathleen M. Foley (USA), Cynthia R. Goh (Singapore), David E. Joranson (USA), Francis J. Keefe (USA), Kathy Kreiter (USA), Patrick W. Mantyh (USA), Philippe Poulain (France), M.R. Rajagopal (India), Cielito C. Reyes-Gibby (USA), and Olaitan A. Soyannwo (Nigeria)