Treatment Options for Chronic Cancer Pain
Cancer pain is often treated with oral medication and pain-relieving techniques such as relaxation and exercise. Sometimes, these options don't relieve the pain or they cause side effects like nausea, confusion, and constipation. You don't have to live this way. It is possible to relieve your pain without experiencing intolerable side effects. One treatment that aims to reduce uncontrolled cancer pain while minimizing side effects is drug delivery therapy from Medtronic.
The choice for your treatment depends on your specific needs: the type and severity of pain, as well as how you respond to pain treatment. Not all treatments may be applicable to your type of pain. Treatments include:
Non-Drug Treatments
Techniques such as relaxation, biofeedback, imagery, hypnosis, acupuncture, exercise, and counseling help many people use less pain medication. Your doctor can help you contact health professionals with experience using these techniques.
Nonopioid Oral Medications (Pills)
Doctors often try nonopioid oral medications first. They include pain relievers such as acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.
Opioids
If nonopioid medications are not effective in controlling your pain, the next step is opioids, such as morphine. Opioids are similar to natural substances (endorphins) produced by the body to control pain.
External Drug Delivery
External drug pumps deliver opioid medication through a tube inserted into a vein (intravenous) or into the epidural space of the spine. External drug delivery systems often can effectively relieve pain.
Intrathecal Drug Delivery
If your oral medication no longer provides cancer pain relief or causes uncomfortable side effects, your doctor may consider an implanted drug pump.
With intrathecal drug delivery, a drug pump is surgically placed in the abdomen. The pump sends pain medication through a thin, flexible tube, called a "catheter," that is implanted in the spinal column. Because the pain medication goes directly into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord (called the "intrathecal space"), the drug pump uses only a fraction of the medication that would be needed if taken orally.
Unlike some surgeries, intrathecal drug delivery is reversible. Your doctor can turn it off or surgically remove the system. In addition, a screening test is performed with an external drug pump to determine the effectiveness of the therapy before the system is implanted.
Neurolytic Blocks
Neurolytic blocks are injected directly into certain nerves to destroy them or stop the nerves from sending pain messages.
Neuroablation
With neuroablation, doctors destroy (usually with heat) the nerves that serve as pathways to the brain. Neuroblation is often a last resort when other treatments have failed.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
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