BAD NEWS ‘FUELS CANCER PAIN’

DOCTORS should limit the bad news they give to cancer patients because it makes their pain worse, an expert has warned.

Telling people too much about the hardships ahead, or warning them about the side-effects of chemotherapy can make them more ill, Professor Frede Olesen told the Royal College of GPs yesterday.

The Danish public health expert described how the problems were linked to the ‘nocebo effect’.

In contrast to the placebo effect, in which sugar pills can help patients if they believe they are being given drugs, negative messages can make patients worse.

Professor Olesen said: ‘Telling a patient that drugs or chemotherapy can give them a lot of side-effects can lead to them experiencing these effects. They are actually more likely to experience nausea, fatigue, pain and depression, studies show.’

He added: ‘We cannot provide false hope. But it is correct that if you focus on bad news, people are more likely to feel pain. Sometimes a doctor can improve a patient’s state just by telling them not to worry.’