Conditions Treated
Cancer Pain
Different types of cancer can cause different types of pain. Common cancer pain syndromes include but are certainly not limited to pancreatic cancer pain, pain after a mastectomy or chest/lung surgery, pain from various pelvic or abdominal malignancies, pain from tumor in the back bones causing bone fractures, and neuropathy from chemotherapy used to destroy the cancer.
Every patient, however, does not necessarily experience the same pains or to the same degree as another patient with the same type of cancer. For example, dull, achy, poorly localized pains can come from organs or bones which are affected by a tumor.
Pain can come from tissue injury such as from tumor infiltrating skin. This may feel gnawing, sharp, and well localized. Pain can also be caused by damaged nerves which can cause shooting, burning, or electrical type pains. Some pains will have multiple components and will have features of each of the different types of pain described above.
Depending on the type and location of the pain, treatment options include medications, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, interventional procedures, counseling, physical therapy, or combinations of the above. Different medications may include opioids (narcotics), anti-inflammatories, anti-seizure medications (for nerve type pains), anti-depressants, and muscle relaxants. Sometimes interventional procedures can also be used to treat cancer related pain. These procedure can include temporarily blocking specific nerves carrying pain, destroying specific nerves carrying pain, shots into the spine region or joints, implantable electrical stimulating devices, implantable medication delivery devices, and procedures to fix fractured back bones to name a few.
Overall, it is important to understand that every patient is different and you will need a plan of care specific to you to treat your pain. What works for someone else may not necessarily work for another you. It is usually best to formulate a plan with your oncologist and your pain specialist which is tailored to you.
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