Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2025

A Quantitative Sensory Testing Paradigm to Obtain Measures of Pain Processing in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery
Published on: January 18, 2018
Oral pain in the cancer patient
Firoozeh Samim1, Joel B Epstein2,3, Rachael Osagie1
1Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Purpose Of Review:
Oral pain is a common complaint in patients with cancer. This review aims to summarize the knowledge on the causes and approach to management of oral pain garnered over the past 2 years.
Recent Findings:
A systematic review and meta-analysis included in the review, assessed cannabinoid versus placebo and showed only a small effect on pain, physical function, and sleep quality. Another review showed that chemical neurolysis as an adjunctive therapy, is effective in patients with pain of shorter chronicity and refractory head and neck cancer-related pain.
Summary:
Patients with cancer frequently experience oral pain because of a variety of factors. Factors inherent in the type and location of the malignancy, the modality of cancer treatment, and a holistic approach to management together contribute to their overall pain experience. Basic oral care should be implemented wherever possible, before, during, and after cancer treatment.
Related Concept Videos
Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones
Nutrient Artery
The nutrient artery is the main blood vessel that enters the diaphysis via the nutrient foramen. While most long bones have only one nutrient foramen, large bones, such as the femur, may have two. This...
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Cannabinoids
Two synthetic agonists of THC,...
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Cancer
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...

