Interventional Anesthetic Methods for Pain in Hematology/Oncology Patients

Interventional Radiofrequency Treatment for the Sympathetic Nervous System: A Review Article

“…Pain due to pancreatic and other abdominal cancers, chronic pancreatitis, and other abdominal pain of various origins were explored as candidates for RF in the studies included in this review. Initial management typically involves the World Health Organization (WHO) stepladder for medication escalation progressing from non-opioid analgesics and NSAIDs to mild opioids to strong opioids [5]. However, 20% of patients remain refractory to treatment [5], and there is significant concern surrounding chronic use of opioids.…”

“…Initial management typically involves the World Health Organization (WHO) stepladder for medication escalation progressing from non-opioid analgesics and NSAIDs to mild opioids to strong opioids [5]. However, 20% of patients remain refractory to treatment [5], and there is significant concern surrounding chronic use of opioids. Additional interventions such as nerve blocks, neurolysis, cordotomy, and infusion therapy can be essential in these patients [4,5].…”

“…Pain due to abdominal cancer is another example. Ninety percent of patients with cancer of any type will experience pain due to their disease [4], and patients with pancreatic cancer, in particular, experience the highest rates of pain [5]. SMP also occurs in many other pain syndromes.…”

“…Interventional procedures in pain management are typically utilized after failure of conservative measures and pharmacotherapies [2,3,5,[13][14][15]. Nerve blocks are a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment, but effects may be temporary [10][11][12].…”

“…Neurolytic procedures may extend these effects. While these procedures carry more inherent risk, potential benefits can far exceed their risk in carefully selected patients with refractory pain phenomena [2,3,5,[13][14][15]. Neurolytic procedures (e.g., chemical neurolysis, cryotherapy, and radiofrequency [RF] treatment) are all valuable and evidenced interventional strategies [8,16].…”