Minimally-Invasive Pain Management Techniques in Cancer Pain

Abstract

The indication for the application of invasive procedures in the therapy of cancer pain is lack of response to opioids or patients who have side effects to opioid therapy that significantly impair the quality of life. Invasive treatment of cancer pain should not be the last resort but should be an integrative part in the treatment of cancer pain in combination with opioid therapy as a part of multimodal therapy. For visceral pain, interventional techniques represent a minimally invasive and reliable option for many diagnoses where active treatment options have been exhausted. There is evidence for the effectiveness of the celiac plexus block in pain treatment for pancreatic cancer and some upper abdominal cancers. According to research, the hypogastric neurolytic block is an option for pelvic visceral pain treatment and has proven to be more effective than oral opioid pain treatment. Recently, progress has been made with intrathecal and epidural analgesia as safe and effective therapeutic options with a positive risk-benefit ratio for cancer pain treatment over a long period of time and in home settings. Invasive procedures are a safe and effective option for cancer pain therapy, thus significantly affecting the quality of life.

Keywords

• cancer pain
• intrathecal analgesia
• epidural analgesia
• celiac plexus block
• hypogastric plexus block