Pain Relief

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Cancer patients and cancer survivors shouldn't have to live in pain. Ensuring access to effective pain medications improves their long-term outcomes and enhances their quality of life. 

We are working in state legislatures and with the federal government to ensure that new laws and regulations are balanced, addressing problems with misuse and abuse of opioids, while making sure patients continue to have access to needed pain medication. 

Pain Relief Resources

ACS CAN supports balanced policies that address the public health concerns relevant to the opioid epidemic,  that do not harm patient access to  medications that they need to treat pain appropriately. 

This Survivor Views survey examined cancer symptoms and side effects, including pain, and use of palliative/ supportive services. Cancer survivors report many physical and emotional side effects during and after treatment, but use of solutions to address those symptoms is lagging.  Survivors prescribed opioids often encounter barriers to obtaining them.

In the fall of 2018 the House and Senate passed the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (the SUPPORT Act)1 – comprehensive legislation to address the opioid epidemic.