Cancer pain is commonly experienced by people suffering from the disease. In fact, pain is the most agonizing symptom of cancer that severely diminishes the quality of life. It can be either dull, sharp, mild or severe pain. Basically, the kind of pain experienced by a patient depends on the type and stage of cancer and of course, their pain threshold.

That said, at Genesis Pain Clinic, Hyderabad cancer pain can be well-managed using a personalized treatment plan using novel techniques and medications to address your unique needs. So do not accept pain as a normal part of fighting cancer. It’s important to remember that all pain can be managed or treated.

Causes

1. Pain from the tumor: Sometimes when a tumor presses on bone, nerves or organs, it causes pain and discomfort. The pain may vary according to location.
2. Side effects of cancer treatments or medicines: Treatment modalities such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery can sometimes cause pain as its side-effect.
3. Post-operative pain: This is common in patients who undergo cancer surgery to get rid of the tumor.
4. Phantom Pain: Phantom pain results from the absent (phantom) body part. It’s common in people who’ve had a body part removed. It is a long-lasting effect of surgery.

Cancer Pain Treatment

At Genesis Pain Clinic, Hyderabad a number of treatments are available to manage and treat cancer pain. Your options may depend on the cause and intensity of your pain. Sometimes you may need a combination of pain treatments such as pain relievers, neural interventions and nerve blocks to find the most relief.

The cancer pain treatments available at Genesis Pain Clinic include either or a combination of the following:

Medications: Depending on your diagnosis and general health, we recommend mild painkillers or potent opioid painkillers along with neuromodulators and other medications along with supportive therapies like physiotherapy and psychological counseling. We strictly follow the WHO-recommended 3-Step Cancer Pain Ladder (Pharmacotherapy) where the initial pain is managed with non-opioids, followed by mild opioids for mild to moderate pain, and for moderate to severe pain, we prescribe strong opioids.

Celiac Plexus Block: It is a safe and effective pain-reducing therapy that relieves severe abdominal pain caused by pancreatic cancer. It’s a type of nerve destruction that stops the celiac plexus nerves in the abdomen from sending pain signals to the brain. While some varieties of celiac plexus block may provide temporary pain relief, others do offer long-term relief.

Regional Blocks: While opioids and adjuvant therapies are the mainstay of cancer pain management, some patients may experience complex pain that is not responsive to conventional analgesia. In such cases, we identify the nerves that are responsible for pain and discomfort and then inject a combination of a local anesthetic for pain relief and a steroid for reducing inflammation around those nerves. To ensure we treat the right area, advanced imaging techniques are used to guide the needle and, once in place, we release the block. Nerve blocks are considered to be one of the best solutions for quick relief from excruciating pain caused due to cancer.