Pain management with metastatic breast cancer
While metastatic breast cancer and some of its treatments can cause pain, there are also many ways to manage pain and get relief.
Pain can be a symptom of the cancer itself, or a side effect of treatments. The spine, pelvis, ribs, and long bones in the arms and legs are common places for breast cancer to metastasize and cause pain. Treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy can also trigger pain for some people.
It’s important to know that there are lots of options for managing pain so you can feel better. Pain can be treated using different strategies including radiation therapy, pain medication, and medical marijuana.
If you have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and you’re experiencing pain, don’t hesitate to let your doctor or nurse know. Together, you and your medical team can decide on a strategy that allows you to stay focused on the things that matter the most to you.
Information about pain management
Below, you can find more information about ways to manage pain related to metastatic breast cancer.
- Pain and MBC
- Bone Pain and MBC
- Breast Cancer in the Bones
- #BeyondTheBreast: Metastatic Breast Cancer in the Bones
- Managing Bone Mets
- Mouth Sores and MBC
- Using Medical Marijuana for Pain Relief
- Learn
- Understanding your diagnosis
- Types of Breast Cancer
- DCIS and LCIS
- Hormone Receptor-Positive
- HER2-Positive
- Triple-Negative
- Metastatic
- Finding out you have MBC
- Complementary and integrative medicine
- Metastatic Breast Cancer & Diet
- Exercise
- Intimacy and Sexuality
- How to support a loved one with MBC
- Talking With Family
- Building Your Community of Support
- Anxiety & Depression
- Navigating Finances
- Understanding Health Insurance
- Work/Life Balance
- How Breast Cancer Metastasizes
- What Makes Metastatic Breast Cancer Different
- Feelings of Loss
- Bone Metastases
- Brain Metastases
- Liver Metastases
- Lung Metastases
- Diagnosis and Testing
- Treatments and Research
- Side Effects
- Bone Health and MBC
- Bone Pain and MBC
- Chemobrain
- Hair Loss and MBC
- Hand-Foot Syndrome and MBC
- Heart Health and MBC
- Insomnia and Fatigue and MBC
- Menopausal Symptoms and MBC
- Mouth Sores and MBC
- Nail and Skin Changes and MBC
- Nausea and Vomiting and MBC
- Neuropathy and MBC
- Neutropenia and MBC
- Pain and MBC
- Sexual Side Effects
- Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer
- Inflammatory
- Lobular
- Diagnosis and Testing
- Treatments and Research
- Getting a Second Opinion
- Preparing for treatment
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Breast Reconstruction
- Targeted Therapy
- Hormonal Therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Clinical Trials
- Biosimilars
- Complementary Therapy
- Yoga and Breast Cancer
- Side Effects
- Anemia
- Bone Loss
- Bone Pain
- Chemobrain
- Depression and Anxiety
- Diarrhea
- Fear of Recurrence
- Hair Loss
- Hand-Foot Syndrome
- Heart Health
- High Cholesterol
- Insomnia and Fatigue
- Lymphedema
- Menopausal Symptoms
- Mouth Sores
- Nail and Skin Changes
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Neuropathy
- Neutropenia
- Pain
- Secondary Cancers
- Sexual Side Effects
- Weight Gain
- Weight Loss
- Living With Breast Cancer
- Body Image
- Bone Health Basics
- Diet, Nutrition and Exercise
- Emotional Health
- Fear of Recurrence
- Fertility and Breast Cancer
- Genetics and Family Risk
- Job and Financial Concerns
- Breast Cancer and the Workplace
- Telling Employers and Coworkers About Your Diagnosis
- Work Accommodations and Disability Benefits
- Managing hidden costs
- Getting Organized for Health Insurance
- Private, State and Federal Insurance
- Understanding your health insurance
- Dealing With a Claim Denial
- Other Ways to Get Insurance
- Financial Planning
- What is the ACA?
- Sex and Intimacy
- Birth Control and Breast Cancer
- Maintaining Sexual Life
- If You Feel Pain During Sex
- Sexual Side Effects
- Body Image and Sexuality
- Improving Sexual Health With Medical Approaches
- Improving Sexual Health With Self Care
- Talking With Your Partner About Sex and Intimacy
- Talking With Your Healthcare Team About Sex and Intimacy
- Signs of Recurrence
- Learning from Others
- Additional Resources
- Get Support
- How You Can Help
- News & Opinion