Abstract
Intraspinal opioid therapy has been increasingly used for the management of cancer pain refractory to traditional treatment. However, this approach may present challenges in patients with advanced cancer. Three cases are presented that highlight the challenges associated with using neuraxial analgesia to manage cancer pain that was felt to be "refractory" to conventional treatment. Before an invasive procedure, such as placement of a permanent intrathecal opioid delivery system, a rigorous assessment and treatment of total pain (physical, psychological, spiritual, social, and practical) by an interdisciplinary team would be prudent.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 930-935 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of pain and symptom management |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2010 |
Keywords
- Cancer pain
- advanced cancer
- opioids
- palliative care
- terminal cancer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Nursing
- Clinical Neurology
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine