Will I feel pain during cancer surgery?

No. The National Cancer Institute states it in one line: "Anesthesia keeps you from feeling pain during surgery." Anesthesia means drugs or other substances that cause a loss of feeling or awareness.

The pain that people do feel comes afterward, as the cuts heal. That part is expected, and it is planned for.

Three kinds of anesthesia, and why the choice matters

NCI describes three.

• Local anesthesia causes loss of feeling in one small area of the body.
• Regional anesthesia causes loss of feeling in a part of the body, such as an arm or a leg.
• General anesthesia causes loss of feeling and a complete loss of awareness that seems like a very deep sleep.

The choice affects more than the operating room. NCI notes that people who have local or regional anesthesia usually return to work more quickly than those who have general anesthesia. It also affects cost, since the type of anesthesia is one of the factors NCI lists as changing the price of surgery.

Not every cancer operation involves a scalpel at all. NCI lists cryosurgery, which uses extreme cold from liquid nitrogen or argon gas to destroy abnormal tissue, and lasers, among other approaches.

What happens while a person is under

NCI's description is plain. The surgeon removes the cancer, usually along with some healthy tissue around it. Taking that margin improves the chances that all of the cancer has come out.

Lymph nodes or other nearby tissue may be removed too. Those go under a microscope to see whether cancer has spread, and that result shapes the treatment plan afterward. It is one reason a full answer often arrives days after the operation rather than in the recovery room.

Pain afterward, and what changes how much

NCI is honest that most people will have pain in the part of the body that was operated on. Surgery often requires cuts through skin, muscles, and sometimes bone, and those cuts take time to heal.

Three things change how much pain there is: how extensive the surgery was, which part of the body it involved, and how the individual experiences pain. That third factor is why two people having the same operation report different things, and neither is wrong.

NCI's specific instruction is to talk about pain control before surgery, not after. Anesthesia and pain plans are usually set at a pre-operative visit, and that is the moment to raise a history of severe pain, opioid tolerance, or a bad reaction to anesthesia in the past. Our guide to surgery for cancer covers the wider process and what to settle in advance.

What to report, and when

The second instruction is just as important: after surgery, tell the team if pain is not controlled. Pain that breaks through the plan is information, not a complaint.

NCI names infection as the other common problem. Discharge instructions should cover how to spot the signs and what to do, and the nurse should also explain how to care for the wound, which activities to avoid, and when work can resume.

Growing redness or swelling around the wound, new drainage, a wound that opens, or a fever warrant a call the same day rather than waiting for the follow-up visit. Ask your surgical team what temperature they want to hear about, because the threshold they set for you overrides any general figure. NCI notes there is normally at least one visit with the surgeon a week or two after going home, and more for complex operations.

Other risks NCI names are bleeding, damage to nearby tissues, and reactions to the anesthesia itself.

NCI's surgery page was last updated on November 8, 2024.

Sources

• https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/surgery