The reason behind this is that malignant tumors tend to stick to underlying cysts, preventing pain to be felt by the patient.
"Not all tumors are painful at the start," Dr. Rachael Marie Rosario said in an interview on DZMM.
"Most of the malignant tumors siguro, nakadikit kasi siya eh --underlying tissues kaya mas hindi siya gumagalaw doon sa cyst."
Rosario explained that this is often experienced by patients in the early stages of cancer, when the bump is too little to cause pain.
"May times talaga na hindi siya masakit, lalo na pag early pa noh... maliit pa yung bukol, hindi siya nakadudulot ng kirot."
As an example, Rosario said that breast cancer patients often detect the cancer after the tumor has increased in size.
"For example yung breast cancer, pag hindi sila nagsasalat ng sariling suso, or gumagawa ng self breast exam, minsan lumalaki na yung bukol, hindi nila napapansin," she said.
"Hindi masakit nung una pero later on pag malaki na yung bukol, naiiipit siguro yung nerves na nararamdaman nila."
Rosario added that pain may sometimes be caused by past illnesses that the patient have had before.
These may be recurring sicknesses that may come apart from cancer.
"Meron ding times na it can't be related to cancer pero nararanasan din ng patient like kung meron siyang rayuma dati, pwede pa rin yung sumusumpong."
However, this pain may also be brought by the types of procedures done to the patient to detect cancer.
"At some point siguro noh, during diagnosis or yung procedure na gagawin para matuklasan at masuri yung cancer nila, baka meron talagang nararamadaman na kirot dahil hindi lang ito galing sa tumor, or yung tumubong bukol sa cancer, pero minsan galing din siya doon sa mga treatments na ginagawa natin."
She explained that sometimes, feeling the physical pain may also entail being affected emotionally.
Due to fear or any related feelings, pain may be associated to different types of occurrences.
"It is a physical and emotional experience or a sensory experience, Rosario said.
"Nararamdaman mo siya, meron siyang kahalong emotional na component and then kaparehas siya ng parang nararamdaman mo pag may [kirot].
The doctor said that before the emotional aspect can be healed, it's important and crucial to heal the physical pain first.
"Before you address siguro the psycho-social and emotional side of pain, you really have to try to get rid of or take away the physical pain."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
