Category : Pain
As a pain physician treating patients with various chronic pain conditions, approach to management of Cancer pain is complex depending on stage of cancer, operability, chemotherapy and radiotherapy status, patient’s physical and mental status to accept and endure pain and palliative interventions.
Following are few interventions
- Pharmacotherapy according to WHO ladder including morphine prescription
- Psychological counselling regards to palliative therapy
- Interventional pain procedures including Neurolytic nerve and plexus blocks (Alcohol based) and Radio-frequency Neuro ablation of nerves and plexus such as
- a) Sphenopalatine plexus, maxillary nerve, and stellate ganglion neurolysia/ RF ablation for head and neck cancers
- b) Splanchnic nerve Neurolysis/ RF ablation for abdominal cancers including gall bladder, head of pancreas, stomach, liver etc.
- c) Superior hypogastric plexus neurolysis/ RF ablation for pelvic organ carcinomas like ovarian ca, cervical ca, prostate ca, bladder ca, sigmoid colon and rectal ca etc.
- d) Ganglion impar neurolysis for perineal and peri anal region growths
- e) Lumbar sympathetic plexus and aortico renal ganglion neurolysis for Renal tumors.
- f) Vertebroplasty for bony metastasis induced vertebral body collapse and fractures.
Providing above pain and palliative measures ensures optimal pain control, dignity of life and control over one’s self and allowing patients a respite from continuous and profound pain thereby improving the quality of life.