Pain in cancer survivors course for Nurses

This session describes the interventions that are available to treat cancer and which are associated with the development of persistent pain in cancer survivors.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• List the common reasons why patients who survive cancer experience persistent pain
• Identify the underlying mechanisms causing this pain
• Recognize the risk factors for persistent pain
• Identify the criteria for categorizing and detecting persistent pain
• List the measures that can be taken to prevent persistent pain
• Describe how persistent pain can be treated

As improvements occur in the way in which cancer is detected and treated, so the number of patients surviving cancer increases. It is predicted that by the year 2020, there will be 3 million cancer survivors living in the United Kingdom. Many of the patients who survive cancer are affected by both the disease itself and the treatments they have received for their disease.