J.Y. YAP and X.Y. YAP
Changi General Hospital, Singapore
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Oncol Cancer Case Rep
Introduction: Pain in cancer patients can be insufferable, especially towards the end of life. The use of opioids and other pain medicines in the WHO analgesic pain ladder can be limited by toxicity. Up to 5-10% of cancer patients continue to experience pain, despite systemic medications and other adjuvant therapies like radiotherapy. Nerve blocks can be extremely valuable for patients with refractory pain or intolerance to opioids. Method: We do a case study on 3 different patients who had nerve blocks done early during the course of their disease � a 70 year old gentleman with pancreatic cancer, with a coeliac plexus block, a 54 year old lady with neck liposarcoma who had an epidural block and a 45 year old lady with cervical cancer with hypogastric plexus block. Results: Apart from optimizing pain control without the crippling side effects of opioids, early use of nerve blocks can improve the quality of life in such patients, and reduce other complications, such as terminal delirium. Conclusion: Although the patients� prognosis remains limited, the advantages they reap from the procedure can be enormous. However, it needs to be clear that the benefits will outweigh the risks of treatment, and should be assessed carefully by specialist physicians. Greater collaboration between pain specialists and palliative doctors should exist in hospitals to ensure nerve blocks are done earlier in the course of the patients� diseases.
Email: dr.xinyi.yap@gmail.com