Close this window

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Glossary

 American Cancer Society

Acute pain
Pain that is severe, but lasts a relatively short time.

Addiction
A psychological dependence on a medicine; uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use. Substance abusers, or addicts, take drugs to satisfy physical, emotional, and psychological needs, not to solve medical problems.

Analgesics
Medicines that are used to relieve pain.

Adjuvant analgesics
A medicine that has a primary purpose other than treatment of pain but helps in relieving pain in some situations.


Bowel Program
Medicines that are used to prevent constipation when taking opioids; usually includes a laxative and stool softener

Breakthrough pain
A brief and often severe pain that occurs even though a person may be taking pain medication regularly.


Chronic pain
Pain that can range from mild to severe, and is present for a long time.

Controlled-release morphine
An opioid medicine that has an 8 to 12 hour effect; also called a long-acting or sustained-release opioid.


Dose
The amount of medicine taken.

Dose titration
Adjustment of medication dose either upward or downward.


Epidural
As an injection into the spinal column, but outside of the spinal cord.


Frequency
How often medicine is taken.


Immediate-release morphine
An opioid that is effective in a shorter period of time; also called a short-acting medicine and a rapid-onset opioid; used to relieve breakthrough pain.

Infusion
A method of giving pain medication into a vein; unlike an injection, which is pushed in by a syringe, an infusion flows in by gravity. Some continuous infusions are given using a mechanical pump.

Intramuscular (IM) injection
Into a muscle.

Intrathecal (IT) injection
Into fluid around the spinal cord.

Intravenous (IV) injection
Into a vein.

Intensity
How much the pain hurts.


Local anesthetic
A medicine that blocks the feeling of pain in a specific location in the body.

Long-acting or sustained-release medicines
Medicines that work for long periods of time and are taken at regular intervals.


Narcotic
See opioids.

Nerve block
Pain medicine is injected directly into or around a nerve or into the spine to block pain.

Non-opioids
Pain medicines that do not contain an opioid; acetaminophen, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and COX-2 inhibitors.


Onset of action
The length of time it takes for a medicine to start to work.

Opioids
The strongest pain relievers available; a prescription is needed for these medicines.
- Weak opioids - opioids that can relieve mild to moderate pain.
- Strong opioids - opioids that can relieve severe pain.


Persistent pain
Pain that is present for long periods of time, in most cases, all day long.

Pain threshold
The level at which a person becomes aware of pain.

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
A method in which a person with the pain controls the amount of pain medicine that is taken. When pain relief is needed, the person can receive a preset dose of the pain medicine by pressing a button on a computerized pump that is connected to a small tube in the body.

Phantom pain
Pain or other unpleasant feeling felt in a missing (phantom) body part.


Rapid-onset opioids
Opioids that relieve pain quickly.

Rescue medicines
Medicines used to relieve breakthrough pain, or pain that has "broken through", or is not relieved by the regular pain medicine.


Short-acting medicines
Medicines that work quickly and stay in the body for short periods of time (also called "rescue" medicines).

Subcutaneous injection (SQ)
Given by a needle inserted just under the skin.


Titrate
To adjust (see dose titration).

Tolerance
When the body gets used to the medicine so that either more medicine is needed to control pain or different medicine is needed.


For a more comprehensive glossary, you may access the ACS web site at www.cancer.org

 

For more information on these treatment guidelines, or on cancer in general, call the NCCN at 1-888-909-NCCN or the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345. Or you can visit these organizations’ web sites at www.cancer.org (ACS) and www.nccn.org (NCCN).

 

© 2005 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Cancer Society (ACS). All rights reserved. The information herein may not be reproduced in any form for commercial purposes or downloaded and stored in any information-retrieval system without the express written permission of the NCCN and the ACS. Single copies of each page may be printed out for personal, noncommercial use only.