You are currently viewing Back Pain In Cancer Patients : Mnemonics ! Never Forget

If you are finding it difficult to remember the most important things to know about back pain in cancer patients, then the mnemonic “CANCER BACK pain” will help you to remember it. 

This will be quite valuable for patients as well as medical doctors, nurses & students doing their clinical rounds. You can also find it very useful for med exams like USMLE, NEET PG, FMGE, NExT & NCLEX exams

Back Pain In Cancer Patients : How To Remember Easily ?

  • C – Common neurologic symptom in patients with systemic cancer
  • A – Affected area is usually the vertebral body (85-90%) but can also be intervertebral foramen, meninges, or spinal cord
  • N – Night pain is common and tends to be constant and dull
  • C – CT, MRI, and CT myelography are the studies of choice for suspected spinal metastasis
  • E – Early diagnosis is crucial for the best outcome
  • R – Rapid intervention is necessary because the patient’s condition can worsen quickly
  • B – Baseline neurologic function prior to diagnosis is a strong predictor of outcome
  • A – Additional tumor deposits can be found in one-third of patients with imaging of the entire spine
  • C – Constant dull pain is common, in contrast to mechanical low back pain that usually improves with rest
  • K – Nonambulatory at diagnosis and few regain the ability to walk

Mnemonic : CANCER BACK pain

Dr. Arin Nandi

Passionate About Medical Science & Helping Future Doctors Achieve Top Ranks In Medical Exams. He is professionally a dentist as well as a public health expert from JIPMER (1), (2)working in health department
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