Pain experience for metastatic breast cancer patients. Unraveling the mystery

Nursing shares responsibility with the other health professions to contribute to the body of knowledge relevant to the pain experience. Cancer pain is a most serious health care problem. It has a severe physiologic and psychologic impact on cancer patients. Eighty women between the ages of 30 and 80 years who had a confirmed diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer and who were experiencing physical pain were interviewed as to their perceptions of their pain experience. The findings indicated that certain common concerns contributed greatly to the pain experience for these patients. These concerns should be assessed, understood, and acknowledged by nurses when caring for cancer patients who are experiencing physical pain. It was also found that certain responses were commonly used by these patients to cope with pain. Nurses should evaluate the coping responses that cancer patients use to deal with their pain. Cancer patients' coping responses that are beneficial should be supported and utilized by nurses as the basis for therapeutic interventions.