NRSG 3225 Nursing Inquiry

Pain by definition is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he [or she] says it does (1).

Cancer-related pain refers to the multidimensional physical, psychological, social, and spiritual suffering of cancer patients.

Suffering associated with cancer pain is complex and must be addressed in the domains of physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and existential being (2).

Therefore, the pain experience of the cancer patient should be considered multidimensional and the result of many factors including nociceptive sources, specific neuropathic pain syndromes, psychogenic or behavioural distress, fatigue, or treatment-related contributions (2)(3)(4).

(1) Dugas,B. W.,Esson, & Ronaldson (1999). Nursing foundations: A Canadian Perspective (2nd ed.)Scarborough, ON:Prentice-Hall.
(2) Lesage, P. & Portenoy, R.K. (1999). Cancer control. Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center, 6(2), 136-145.
(3)Zorn, M., Rowland, J.H. & Varricchio C.G.(2002). Symptom Management in cancer: Pain, depression, and fatigue. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine
(4) Otis-Green, S., Sherman, R., Perez, & Baird, Rev. P. (2002). Cancer Practice, 10(1), S58-S65).