Cancer pain can sometimes be challenging to fully alleviate with medications, or you might need to discontinue a pain medication due to side effects. If pain persists, inform your healthcare team. There are alternative methods to lessen pain without medication. Combining treatments and therapies often proves more effective than just one method.
Cancer treatments can occasionally alleviate pain by addressing its root cause, depending on the cancer type, nature of the pain, and its location. Cancer treatment focused on alleviating pain rather than curing the disease is referred to as palliation or palliative treatment. Here are effective methods for managing cancer pain.
Emotional Support
Pain may lead to feelings of worry, depression, or discouragement. Consider joining a support group where individuals with cancer gather to share their experiences. These groups can meet in person or online. Mesothelioma Hope has a compassionate team dedicated to assisting mesothelioma patients and their families by offering free resources on leading treatments, specialists, and financial aid.
Muscle Relaxers
Cancer treatment can occasionally lead to pain. For instance, radiation therapy might result in scar tissue forming near the treated area, causing muscle tightness. Muscle relaxers can alleviate this tightness. Patients might experience pain unrelated to their cancer treatment, such as pre-existing back pain or muscle spasms. In these situations, muscle relaxers can also provide relief.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy applies a precise dose of radiation. It uses x-ray beams to destroy or damage cancer cells, preventing them from growing, multiplying, or spreading. This results in the reduction of tumors and alleviates discomfort.
For instance, if cancer has metastasized to the bones, radiation therapy can help relieve pain, or it can reduce headaches if cancer has increased pressure in the brain. When radiation is used to manage pain, a brief treatment course lasting a few days to two weeks is often sufficient.
It might take several days or weeks to notice an improvement in pain. During this period, you should continue taking your pain medication. Occasionally, pain may intensify before it starts to improve. Your doctor can prescribe different medications to help manage this. The radiation dose used for pain relief is low, and the treatment typically has minimal side effects apart from fatigue.
Nerve Blocks
Historically, nerve blocks have been Step 4 on the WHO analgesic ladder, but recent evidence suggests that using interventions earlier in the disease process may be more effective. A randomized controlled trial comparing early and later neurolytic sympathectomy for abdominal or pelvic cancer pain demonstrated that patients who received the procedure earlier required fewer oral analgesics and experienced better pain control and quality of life. Considering nerve blocks earlier in treatment may be beneficial when appropriate.
Acupuncture
Approximately 31% of cancer patients are estimated to use acupuncture. However, the results are often inconsistent due to the literature covering various types of pain (chronic, neuropathic, post-thoracotomy, postoperative, etc.) and frequently having a high risk of bias.
One pilot study on acupuncture provided 10 treatments to patients, revealing that numerical pain scores dropped from 6 (before treatment) to 3.8 (after treatment), along with a reduction in pain medication prescriptions.
Other reviews have indicated no significant difference between acupuncture combined with conventional care versus conventional care alone or between real and sham acupuncture. Given these conflicting findings, clinicians should discuss the potential risks and benefits with each patient individually.
Endnote
Managing cancer pain isn’t a uniform process; it demands a thorough, multi-dimensional strategy to identify the best treatments. With the assistance and expertise of pain management specialists, you can tackle this challenge and improve your quality of life.
