Treating pain resulting from secondary bone cancer

Pain| is the most common symptom of secondary bone cancer. There are different types of pain which may need different treatments. Different types of painkiller are available to treat all levels of pain and these are usually very effective. They may be given alone or alongside radiotherapy|. The medical staff will discuss your pain with you. It's important to let them know if it's not controlled.

You may need to try a few different painkillers before you find one that is effective for you. Sometimes you may need to take a combination of painkillers to get the right level of pain control. You might also need to take painkillers temporarily while having other treatment. For example, it may take two to three weeks for radiotherapy to relieve the pain caused by secondary bone cancer, so you’ll need to take painkillers during this time.

You may be prescribed other drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or bisphosphonates| to help relieve your pain, or be given other treatments, such as cementoplasty.

If you are having trouble sleeping, your doctor may prescribe a mild sleeping tablet for you. Other general ways of relaxing and helping to reduce your pain include:

• listening to relaxation tapes or CDs
• applying heat and gentle massage to painful areas
• a long soak in a warm bath.

If your pain isn’t controlled at any time, it’s important to let your doctor or specialist palliative care nurse know as soon as possible. Palliative care nurses (sometimes called Macmillan nurses) can visit you – they are specialists in advising on pain and symptom control and giving emotional support.

You can ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist in palliative medicine. This is a doctor who is expert in treating symptoms such as pain.

You may find it helpful to read our sections on controlling cancer pain| and symptoms of cancer|.

Research is continually going on to find new drugs, different ways of giving drugs, and new techniques to control pain for people with secondary cancer in the bone.