What does pain therapy for cancer look like?
Tumor diseases can cause severe pain, especially in the final stages. The pain can be of varying quality, which is why different groups of drugs must be used to alleviate it. There are basically three types of pain: nociceptor pain, which is caused by stimulation and damage to free nerve endings, can be relieved well by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Compression pain, on the other hand, which is caused by compression of pain-sensitive tissues and growing into them, can be treated comparatively well with opiates. Neuropathic pain, finally, is caused by direct damage to nerves and can hardly be controlled with classical painkillers. Here, so-called co-analgesics such as antidepressants and neuroleptics are used.
Pain medication is administered according to the WHO step-by-step scheme and should be administered at a fixed daily rhythm with the integration of an adequate medication to treat pain caused by tumor breakthrough. Side effects should also be treated or prevented in good time.
All articles in this series:
- Pain therapy
- WHO level scheme
- Regional anesthetic procedures
- Non-drug pain therapy
- Herbal pain therapy
- Psychological pain therapy
- Multimodal pain therapy
- What is the procedure of an inpatient pain therapy?
- What does pain therapy for fibromyalgia look like?
- What does pain therapy for cancer look like?
