Patients with cancer pain usually experience a persistent discomfort, which is known as “background pain”, and which can normally be controlled with painkillers that are taken on a regular basis. However, patients with controlled background pain may still experience short-lasting episodes of more severe discomfort, which is known as “breakthrough pain”. Breakthrough pain requires different treatment to background pain (see Managing breakthrough pain).

The following questions are used by doctors and nurses to decide whether patients have breakthrough pain (which is treated in one way) from other types of pain (which are treated in other ways):

Pain is common in patients with cancer, and may be due to the cancer itself, the cancer treatment, or a co-existent condition (e.g. osteoarthritis, osteoporosis). The severity of the pain is not necessarily an indication of the severity of the underlying condition. In other words, the development of breakthrough pain, or the worsening of breakthrough pain, does not necessarily indicate that the cancer has worsened (or that the cancer treatment has not worked).

If you think you have breakthrough cancer pain then you need to arrange to see the doctor or nurse, who is dealing with your cancer pain (or dealing with your cancer); the doctor or nurse will make an assessment of your breakthrough pain, and will then choose the best treatment for your breakthrough pain.