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Studies show that one-third of cancer patients will have some type of pain. However, cancer pain is often undertreated and poorly understood.
What is Cancer Pain?
The International Association for the Study of Pain defines cancer pain as “unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associate with actual or potential tissue damage resulting either from the treatment of cancer or the cancer itself.”
"Cancer" refers to any one of a large number of diseases. People with cancer have abnormal cells in their bodies that divide uncontrollably and can destroy normal body tissue.
Cancer Pain
Cancer pain can have many sources. For example, cancer pain can be caused from the primary cancer (original cancer) or the areas the cancer has spread to (metastasis). The majority of cancer related pain is from a direct tumor involvement causing injury to surrounding nerves, organs, or bones. For that reason, patients with more advanced cancer often experience more severe pain. Cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery can also be potential causes of cancer pain. Lastly, cancer survivors can also suffer from residual pain.
It is a common misconception that cancer has to be painful. This is where the complexity of cancer treatment requires the expertise of a pain specialist. Managing pain, as well as side effects from your medication, is possible. Many people experience significant improvement in their pain symptoms after seeking care from a pain specialist. This means they can do more of the everyday things that make life special while they battle their disease.
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At Modern Pain Consultants we understand cancer pain, and we are ready to battle it with you at your side.
Treatments Options:
- Radiation, Chemotherapy, Surgery
- NSAID- (non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs) medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac
- Analgesics utilizing a analgesic ladder approach
- Antidepressants
- Corticosteriod medications
- Topical compound creams
- Medical Cannibas
Intervention Pain Intervention:
- Nerve blocks utilize a local anesthetic injected into a nerve to interrupt the pain pathway to reaching the brain
- Corticosteriod injections to provide fast pain relief to targeted pain sites
- Spinal Cord Stimulator provides pain relief by modifying the pain messages before they reach the brain
- Intrathecal Pain Pump is a targeted drug delivery system is surgically placed in the abdomen. The system releases medicine directly into the intrathecal space to help manage uncontrolled cancer pain and improve quality of life.
At Modern Pain Consultants, we understand that each patient’s stage of disease and diagnosis will require an individualized pain treatment plan to optimize quality of life. We will work with your multidisciplinary team to provide you with a coordinated and systematic approach to the treatment of your cancer and its associated pain.
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Spine Specialists