I. Do you know how many people are suffering from cancer pain?
According to the World Health Organization, there are about 10 million newly diagnosed cancer patients worldwide every year, and 30%~50% of them are accompanied by different degrees of pain. About 15% of early cancer patients are accompanied by symptoms. Among the cancer patients, 60%~90 of the advanced stage patients have different degrees of pain, and 70% of them have pain as the main symptom. Among cancer patients, more than 50% have moderate to severe pain, and 30% have severe to unbearable pain. In the process of receiving anti-cancer treatment, 50% of patients have pain caused by the treatment.
At least 5 million people worldwide suffer from cancer pain every day!
Despite the fact that cancer pain is very common and very serious, the current treatment for cancer pain is not satisfactory for people. Even in developed countries, 50% to 80% of cancer patients do not receive satisfactory treatment.
As the largest developing country in the world, the treatment of cancer pain in China is not optimistic. Under the influence of traditional concepts and the constraints of economic development level, more patients are helplessly enduring pain and waiting for death in pain and despair. According to statistics, there are about 1 million cancer patients suffering from pain every day in China.
II. Pay attention to pain as much as blood pressure
Nowadays, health care professionals at home and abroad gradually realize the importance of pain control. The World Health Organization has categorized chronic pain as a disease. The World Pain Congress has recognized pain as the “fifth vital sign” of human body, which means that doctors should pay as much attention to patients’ pain as to their blood pressure, pulse, respiration and body temperature (the four vital signs).
Do not think that “if you have cancer, you must have pain, and pain is normal.” Pain is a disease in itself, which not only brings physical pain, but also causes loss of appetite, depression, and even depression, which will not guarantee the quality of life of patients or their families.
Pain relief treatment not only reduces patients’ pain, but also helps to improve the quality of life and the successful completion of anti-cancer treatment.
Anti-cancer treatment itself controls pain, and it takes some time to see the pain relief effect appear. Therefore, before the radical anti-cancer treatment becomes effective, it is necessary to actively carry out pain relief treatment so that the anti-cancer treatment can be completed successfully.
In addition, for patients who have lost the chance of radical treatment, pain relief may be the only acceptable and effective treatment for some patients, because pain relief treatment can enable tumor patients to live with tumor for a long time in a pain-free state to improve the quality of life.
Treatment of cancer pain is the basic right of every cancer patient, which must be respected and valued.
Do you know there is a “World Pain Day” and “China Pain Week”?
In order to arouse the public’s attention to a social phenomenon, a certain day of the year is often set as a commemorative day internationally, for example, June 26 is “International Anti-Drug Day”, December 1 is “World AIDS Day” and so on.
In order to make people pay attention to pain and knowledge about pain, the International Pain Society declared on October 11, 2004, the first day of the second week of October every year as “World Pain Day”, and the theme of that year is “Pain Relief as a Basic Right of Patients”.
Cancer pain can be controlled – cancer pain patients do not need to endure pain
The most serious pain caused by cancer is pain and sometimes loss of dignity. If you have not experienced it, you can’t imagine the pain. This torturous cancer pain, even beyond the cancer itself, has caused many cancer patients to lose their will to live and tragic suicides have occurred.
In order to effectively control cancer pain, the World Health Organization has put forward the famous “Three Steps to Know the Principles of Cancer”. And it has been promoted worldwide. According to this principle of the group, the pain of 90% of cancer patients can be relieved with the existing painkillers. China formally introduced this guiding principle into the country in December 1990.
After nearly 22 years of practice and play good, the safety, effectiveness, simplicity and feasibility of this method are now unanimously recognized by experts at home and abroad. The correct application of this method can eliminate pain effectively and continuously, reduce the side effects of drugs, reduce the psychological burden of cancer pain patients caused by cancer pain and treatment, and improve their quality of life to the greatest extent.
Pain treatment for cancer patients is the most basic need of cancer patients, just like eating when people are hungry for medicine. Encouraging cancer patients to “not tolerate pain” and control pain effectively is a respect for life.
V. What is the “three-step cancer pain relief method”?
The so-called “three-step cancer pain relief method” means that after a professional doctor has correctly assessed the nature and cause of cancer pain, the pain is classified into three levels: mild, moderate and severe according to the severity of the pain, and appropriate drugs are suspended according to the different levels of pain. For patients with mild pain, non-opioid drugs are used; for patients with moderate pain, weak opioid drugs are used; for patients with severe pain, strong opioid drugs are needed.
The World Health Organization recommends the following three-step pain relief method for cancer pain relief.
Mild cancer pain: the pain class can be tolerated, does not affect normal life and basically does not affect sleep. The pain medication used for mild cancer pain is the first step of medication.
Commonly used drugs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen extended release, celecoxib, indomethacin, diclofenac, etc.
Second stage
Severe pain that persists and affects sleep and appetite.
Commonly used drugs: codeine, bupropion, tramadol.
The third step
Severe pain: cancer pain is so severe that sleep and appetite are seriously disturbed, and it is difficult to fall asleep at night or the patient wakes up in the middle of sleep due to pain.
Commonly used drugs: morphine hydrochloride (short-acting morphine), morphine sulfate controlled-release tablets (Methocarbamol), oxycodone hydrochloride controlled-release tablets, fentanyl transdermal patch.