The Need of a Comprehensive Approach in a Condition of Poorly Opioid-Responsive Cancer Pain

Abstract

Background: Spinal analgesia is often claimed as an effective strategy for patients with a poor response to systemic opioids. Despite the optimistic data reported in literature with intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) for cancer pain, a critical analysis showed modest benefit. Indeed, intrathecal therapy may be potent means to be used in a very selected population. However, ability to manage spinal therapy combined with the use of opioids and other drugs in the general perspective of a comprehensive palliative care treatment may allow to resolve refractory cancer pain in a patient with a clinical profile of poor pain prognosis, according to the Edmonton staging system.

Methods: A long-term management of patients who underwent different therapeutic approaches, including multiple opioid lines, intrathecal analgesia, and a comprehensive palliative care treatment, is described.

Results: The case reported describes how the management of cancer pain may be complex, requiring a high level of expertise on using opioids, conversion ratios, different routes, particularly the intrathecal one, as well as providing a comprehensive palliative care treatment.

Conclusions: No evidence-based treatment can be taken into consideration for such extreme conditions, where only experience and knowledge can guide to an effective course of treatment along a period of about six months. Timely therapeutic strategies are needed to be performed in each challenging clinical situation along the course of disease.

Keywords: Cancer pain; intrathecal analgesia; opioids; palliative care.