Body pain and risk of cancer death

Widespread body pain is a symptom of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain in the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons. The pain occurs in areas called tender points. Common tender points are the front of the knees, the elbows, the hip joints and around the neck. Such pain is associated with high levels of psychological distress, smoking and fatigue. Although widespread pain is common, little is known about the natural course and it is a difficult condition to treat. The researchers at the University of Manchester carried out a population based study in North west England. They surveyed 6,569 people aged 18 to 85 and then followed death rates and causes of death in the group for a period of eight years. They found that those who reported widespread bodily pain at the beginning of the study were twice as likely as those who reported no pain to die from cancer. And those who reported at least one day's worth of pain in only part of the body were 55% more likely than the pain-free to die from cancer. The risk of cancer death increased from about one in 60 among people reporting no pain to one in 20 among those with widespread pain. This study has shown that people who report widespread pain have an increased risk of death, mainly from cancer, in the long term. Some of the contributing factors include stressful life events and emotional problems, or a tendency to suffer widespread pain may shorten a person's survival after developing cancer. However the link between pain and cancer death still remains uncertain and future studies are needed to confirm this association and to investigate the possible mechanisms.

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