Some 60-70% of men with advanced metastatic prostate cancer will experience bone pain as their disease progresses. Bones are one of the major targets for prostate cancer metastasis and along with these mets will come pain.

There is never any reason not to have your bone pain controlled. Your quality of life should rule your treatments. There are several systematic as well as local methods which will control bone metastases and the pain often associated with them.

Narcotic analgesics, corticosteroids, bisphosphonate infusions, radiopharmaceutical agents and external beam radiation (EBRT) can all be used successfully to shrink bone metastases and relieve bone pain. Discuss all of these options with your doctors, don’t suffer needlessly with pain.

Do not allow your doctor to tell you there is nothing to be done. Do not allow your doctor to be concerned that you may become addicted to narcotics. There is no reason your pain should not be treated and there is no reason that you should be made to suffer. Stand up to your doctors or find a new doctor if your needs are not completely met.

Joel T Nowak MA, MSW