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Cancer and its treatment can cause muscle pain, leg cramps, and other types of cramps. Tumors can press on nerves, bones, or other organs, causing pain. Cancer can also spread to the bone and damage bone tissue, leading to somatic pain. This pain is often described as dull, throbbing, or aching. Soft tissue pain, or visceral pain, refers to pain originating from a body organ or muscle, such as tissue damage to the kidney causing back pain. Cancer-induced muscle wasting (CIMW) is a significant symptom of cancer cachexia, leading to muscle weakness and fatigue. Chemotherapy can also cause muscle pain, numbness, and tingling in the hands and feet.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cancer-induced muscle pain | Myalgia |
| Cancer-induced bone pain | Somatic pain |
| Cancer-induced muscle wasting | CIMW |
| Muscle pain causes | Chemo, infection, over-use, fibromyalgia, cancer treatment, cancer |
| Muscle pain description | Deep, constant, dull ache or a sharp sporadic ache |
| Muscle pain management | Mineral and vitamin supplements, muscle relaxants, stretching exercises, gentle exercise |
| Cancer pain characteristics | Sharp, dull, burning, throbbing, tingling, muscle tightness or stiffness |
| Cancer pain management | Pain medicines, targeted therapies |
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What You'll Learn
Tumours pressing on nerves, bones, or organs
Cancer pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain is due to damage caused by an injury and tends to only last a short time. For example, having an operation can cause acute pain. The pain goes away when the wound heals, and in the meantime, painkillers will usually keep it under control. Chronic pain, also called persistent pain, can be difficult to treat, but it often can be controlled with painkillers or other pain management methods.
Most cancer pain is caused by a tumour pressing on bones, nerves, or other organs in the body. Cancer can spread into the bone and cause pain by damaging bone tissue. The cancer can affect one specific area of bone or several areas. Bone pain is often described as aching, dull, or throbbing.
Tumours pressing on nerves can cause nerve pain, which can also occur after cancer treatments such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Tumours pressing on other organs can cause referred pain, where the pain is felt in a different part of the body. For example, a swollen liver may cause pain in the right shoulder, even though the liver is under the ribs on the right. This is because the liver presses on nerves that end in the shoulder.
Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) and cancer-induced muscle wasting (CIMW) are significant causes of morbidity in affected patients. CIMW is a major symptom of cancer cachexia, which involves skeletal muscle loss due to decreased protein anabolism, increased proteolysis, or a combination of both. CIBP and CIMW are currently mostly managed through palliative care, but targeted therapies are being developed to revolutionize treatment.
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Cancer treatment side effects
Cancer and its treatment can cause muscle pain and leg cramps. Tumours can press on nerves, bones, and other organs, causing pain. This pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain is usually severe, comes on quickly, and lasts a short time. It is often a sign of injury and goes away as the injury heals. Chronic pain can be mild or severe and lasts for at least three months. It can be managed with pain medication.
Cancer treatment can also cause muscle pain. Chemotherapy can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, as well as a burning sensation at the injection site. Radiotherapy can cause skin redness and irritation, and if it is administered in the bladder area, it can cause inflammation (radiation cystitis).
Cancer-induced muscle wasting (CIMW) is a major symptom of cancer cachexia, which is characterised by skeletal muscle loss due to decreased protein anabolism and increased proteolysis. CIMW is associated with bone pain, fractures, and nerve compression. Muscle pain can also be caused by infection, overuse, or conditions like fibromyalgia.
Leg cramps can be a side effect of cancer treatment, and they can be managed through mineral and vitamin supplements, muscle relaxants, and stretching exercises. It is important to discuss any muscle pain or cramps with your cancer care team so they can help create a management plan.
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Bone pain and muscle weakness
Cancer can spread to the bones and cause pain by damaging bone tissue. This can affect a specific area of bone or multiple areas. Bone pain is often described as dull, throbbing, or aching. Tumours pressing on nerves, bones, or other organs can also cause pain. Cancer treatment can also cause pain, for example, chemotherapy drugs can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Cancer-induced muscle wasting (CIMW) is a major symptom of cancer cachexia, which is a common paraneoplastic syndrome characterised by severe wasting due to loss of skeletal muscle mass. Cachexia can be caused by decreased protein anabolism, increased proteolysis, or a combination of both.
Bone and muscle physiology are altered in cancer patients. Myokines secreted by skeletal muscle cells can impact the surrounding bone, and bone releases multiple growth factors during physiological remodelling that affect muscle function. Tumour metastasis to bone disrupts the relationship between osteoclasts and osteoblasts, as well as various signalling pathways. This alteration in the microenvironment accelerates myofibrillar degradation and apoptosis, resulting in muscle weakness and fatigue.
Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) is caused by the spread of cancer to the bones, which can damage bone tissue. This can result in pain that is described as dull, throbbing, or aching. CIBP can also be caused by tumour cells stimulating excessive osteoclast activity, which releases growth factors that fuel tumour growth and bone destruction. Bone metastases can also cause muscle weakness, which is a significant co-morbidity.
CIMW is a major symptom of cancer cachexia, which is characterised by severe wasting and loss of skeletal muscle mass. CIMW is caused by decreased protein anabolism, increased proteolysis, or a combination of both. CIMW can also be caused by modifications to the ryanodine receptor/calcium release channel (RyR1) from chronic oxidative stress, resulting in leaky calcium channels and impaired calcium handling. This disruption in calcium signalling can lead to contractile dysfunction and muscle weakness.
There are currently no treatments for cancer-associated muscle weakness. However, various therapeutic interventions have been formulated, and several pharmacologic therapies are in pre-clinical and clinical testing. These include resiniferitoxin, a targeted inhibitor of nociptive nerve fibres, and selective androgen receptor modulators, which show promise in increasing lean mass. While the current management is mostly palliative, targeted therapies are expected to revolutionize the treatment of CIBP and CIMW.
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Leg cramps
Cancer can spread into the bone and cause pain by damaging bone tissue. This pain is often described as dull, throbbing, or aching. The cancer can affect a specific area of bone or several areas. Tumours pressing on nerves, bones, or other organs can also cause pain. Cancer treatment can also cause pain, for example, some chemotherapy drugs can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
- Pregnancy: The extra weight of pregnancy can strain the leg muscles, making them more susceptible to cramping.
- Exercise: Leg cramps are common during rest periods after physical activity.
- Neurological conditions: Motor neurone disease or peripheral neuropathy can increase the likelihood of leg cramps.
- Liver disease: A buildup of toxins in the blood due to liver malfunction can cause muscle spasms and leg cramps.
- Infection: Certain bacterial infections, such as tetanus, can trigger muscle cramps.
- Toxins: High levels of toxic substances in the blood, like lead or mercury, are associated with leg cramps.
- Dehydration: Low water levels in the body can lead to decreased salt levels, triggering muscle cramps.
If you or your loved one is experiencing leg cramps, there are several remedies you can try. Applying heat or ice, massaging the affected area, and flexing the cramped muscle can provide relief. Additionally, your cancer care team may suggest mineral and vitamin supplements, prescribe muscle relaxants, or recommend stretching exercises and gentle physical activity. It is important to contact your healthcare provider if the leg becomes red, swollen, hard, tender, or warm, or if the cramping lasts for an extended period.
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Chronic pain
Cancer and its treatment can cause muscle pain and cramps. Chemotherapy, for instance, can cause numbness and a tingling sensation in the hands and feet, while some drugs can cause a burning sensation at the injection site. Cancer-induced muscle wasting (CIMW) is a major symptom of cancer cachexia, which results in skeletal muscle loss due to decreased protein anabolism, increased proteolysis, or a combination of both. CIMW is also associated with bone pain, fractures, hypercalcemia, and nerve compression.
Muscle pain can be a deep, constant, dull ache or a sharp sporadic ache. It can be caused by chemotherapy, infection, overuse, or conditions like fibromyalgia. Certain types of cancer, such as sarcoma, tumours, and leukemia, can also cause muscle pain.
Cancer pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain is usually severe, comes on quickly, and lasts a short time. It is often a sign that the body has been injured and tends to go away as the injury heals. Chronic pain, on the other hand, can come on quickly or slowly and can range from mild to severe. It is considered chronic if it lasts longer than three months. Chronic pain can disrupt one's life and normal activities if not managed well. It often lessens or is controlled by taking pain medication on a regular schedule, which is sometimes called "taking pain medicines around the clock."
It is important to keep track of your pain and its symptoms and share them with your cancer care team so they can help you manage it effectively.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, cancer can cause muscle pain. Tumours can press on nerves, bones or other organs, resulting in muscle pain. Cancer-induced muscle wasting (CIMW) is a major symptom of cancer cachexia.
Muscle pain can be a deep, constant, dull ache or a sharp sporadic ache. People with cancer who experience pain may notice that the intensity changes throughout the day and that it may differ from day to day.
Muscle pain in cancer patients can be caused by the cancer itself, the treatment, or something else entirely. Chemotherapy, for example, can cause numbness and a burning sensation, while cancer can cause leg cramps and other muscle cramps.
Muscle pain in cancer patients can be treated with pain medications, mineral and vitamin supplements, muscle relaxants, and stretching exercises or gentle exercise.
