Your Health

New Resource Helps People With Cancer-Related Breakthrough Pain

Posted 11/12/2010

New Resource Helps People With Cancer-Related Breakthrough Pain

(NAPSI) - A new resource may help people with cancer-related breakthrough pain get the help they need.

For many of the approximately 11 million Americans affected by cancer, pain is too often a constant part of life.

However, many people are unaware that there are different kinds of cancer pain. Breakthrough pain, which is an often sudden burst of pain that can occur a few times during the day, affects approximately 51 to 89 percent of people who are adequately treated for persistent cancer pain, yet the condition often goes under-diagnosed and under-treated.

In support of National Pain Awareness Month, Cephalon, Inc. sponsored an educational series called Share Your Pain, which uses online video segments, also known as vodcasts, to raise awareness of cancer-related breakthrough pain and provide online resources for patients and caregivers.

“For people with cancer who are unfamiliar with breakthrough pain, the vodcast series serves as a valuable resource to help them learn more about the condition and recognize symptoms,” said series host Charles M. Balch, M.D., Professor of Surgery, Oncology and Dermatology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. “Many people are not familiar with the term ‘cancer-related breakthrough pain,’ so this series is designed to encourage them to discuss symptoms with their doctor and receive appropriate treatment.”

The Share Your Pain vodcast series features different perspectives and testimonials from health care professionals and other experts in the pain and cancer fields.

Each vodcast offers easy to understand information about breakthrough cancer pain, including:

• The overall impact of cancer-related breakthrough pain

• How to cope with cancer-related breakthrough pain

• Tips for working with your nurse to manage cancer-related breakthrough pain

• A clinical explanation of cancer-related breakthrough pain

• How to get involved in supporting Pain Awareness Month activities

• An overview of pain management in an era of healthcare reform.

The series also includes a model dialogue video that illustrates the elements of clear patient and physician communication from a patient perspective. To view the vodcast series and the model dialogue video or to find more information about cancer-related breakthrough pain, visit www.ShareYourPain.com.