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Query: UMLS:C0596240 (cancer pain)
 3,066 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A case is reported of a persisting leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurring after removal of a subarachnoid analgesia kit. The kit had been inserted in a 79-year-old man who had severe perineal cancer pain. Fifteen months later, after a second episode of meningitis, the kit was removed. The leakage was noticed a few hours after removal of the kit. Biological parameters confirmed the fluid was most certainly CSF. Despite making the patient lie prone, water restriction and a compressive dressing, the leakage was still present three days later. A blood patch, and the epidural injection of biological glue, were of no avail. The leakage was only stopped by tying off the fistula with a ligature. The actiology and treatment of skin CSF fistulae after puncture of the dura mater are discussed.
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PMID:[Persistent leakage of cerebrospinal fluid after removal of a device implanted for subarachnoid analgesia]. 141 83

In the past, pain control for chronic pain syndromes using narcotic infusion has been carried out primarily via the intrathecal (subarachnoid) route. This report presents one of the first large series of terminally ill cancer patients with intractable pain treated with continuous epidural morphine infusions by means of implanted pumps and epidural spinal catheters. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that the epidural route is effective with minimal complications, and that screening with temporary epidural catheter infusions results in a high rate of subsequent pain relief. A multidisciplinary team (neurosurgeon, anesthesiologists, psychiatrists, oncologists, and nurse clinicians) evaluated and treated all of the patients studied. Percutaneous placement of temporary epidural catheters for a trial assessment was performed by the anesthesiologists. Pain evaluations were conducted independently by psychiatrists using both verbal and visual analog scales. From 1982 to 1988, 41 (59.4%) of 69 patients evaluated for eligibility experienced good pain control during trial assessment and were subsequently implanted with Infusaid infusion pumps. Preinfusion pain analog values were 8.6 +/- 0.3 and postimplantation values at 1 month were 3.8 +/- 0.4 (p less than 0.001). Over this same 1-month period. requirements of systemic morphine equivalents decreased by 79.3% with epidural infusions as compared to preinfusion requirements (p less than 0.001). There were no instances of epidural scarring, respiratory depression, epidural infections, meningitis, or catheter blockage. One patient developed apparent drug tolerance and three patients required further catheter manipulations. This series strongly suggests that significant reductions in cancer pain can be obtained with few complications and a low morphine tolerance rate using chronic epidural morphine infusion. Anesthesiology and psychiatry input, along with temporary catheter infusion screening and quantitative pain evaluations using analog scales, are essential.
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PMID:Constant infusion of morphine for intractable cancer pain using an implanted pump. 199 25

Terminal cancer patients report substantial pain frequently. Pain control can be achieved in many patients with conventional methods and analgesics. However, significant numbers of patients remain in pain. For these patients, continuous intrathecal narcotics delivered by an external portable pump via a subcutaneous port, offer substantially improved pain control with minimal risk of serious systemic complications. Duration of treatment in our 40 cancer patients lasted up to 11 month. Continuous intrathecal morphine or fentanyl relieved pain till death due to cancer. Supraspinal side effects of opioids were only seen during the first week of intrathecal narcotic treatment. No serious complications like meningitis or other infections were observed. Postmortem examination also could not detect changes of the cord or signs of arachnoiditis due to intrathecal narcotics or the implanted catheter. We conclude, that continuous intrathecal narcotic infusion by means of small portable pump is a very efficient method to control terminal cancer pain and enables treatment on an outpatient basis until death.
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PMID:[Continuous intrathecal opiate therapy with a portable drug pump in cancer pain]. 290 71

Long-term use of spinal opioids to treat chronic severe pain is widely established. However, the indications, shortcomings and complications of the method have not been completely described. Experience with spinal opioids was analysed for the period 1979-1984 in a nationwide Swedish survey. Out of 93 anaesthesia departments, 69 used the method. Approximately 750 patients were treated with epidural morphine for an average duration of 124 days (3-450). Eighteen patients were treated with intrathecal morphine for an average period for 47 days (3-90). The intrathecal approach was used in all clinics because of failure of the epidural route. In only one department was the intrathecal approach used as the primary route of therapy, depending on the mechanism of pain. The highest daily morphine dose was 480 mg and 50 mg for epidural and intrathecal routes, respectively. The patients given the highest dosages were not necessarily those subjected to the longest treatment. The need for increased dosage seems to be related not only to changes in receptor sensitivity but also to changes in pain mechanisms. No case of threatening ventilatory depression was reported. Thirty-two departments had treated a few patients with chronic non-cancer pain conditions. Initial results were considered "excellent" in 11 departments, but at follow-up results were excellent in only one department. In addition to dislocation, occlusion of the catheters or leakage, injection pain was an obstacle to successful treatment. Pruritus urinary retention, and local infections were not reported as significant problems, but one case of meningitis was reported.
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PMID:Clinical experience of long-term treatment with epidural and intrathecal opioids--a nationwide survey. 336 50

The use of trans-sphenoidal pituitary alcohol injection was assessed in a district general hospital for the treatment of diffuse bilateral cancer pain in 26 patients. Fourteen patients received a total of 43 injections. Hormonal and non-hormonal dependent cancers were treated, with complete pain relief in ten patients and partial relief in a further seven patients. The duration of relief was variable, and usually less than 6 weeks, although two patients had complete pain relief for 5 and 7 months respectively. No cases of meningitis or cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea occurred. Nasal antiseptics and vasoconstrictors were not used. Temporary pupil dilatation occurred in eight patients, of whom one had prolonged blurred vision for small print. Transient diabetes insipidus was common (53%), although only five patients needed permanent treatment. Death from their disease occurred in 65% of patients within 3 months. Survival was shorter than in series from specialist centres, suggesting later referral for pain relief. The technique is an inexpensive and valid form of treatment for cancer pain in a district hospital, but should not be undertaken lightly in view of the possible complications.
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PMID:Pituitary alcohol injection for cancer pain. Use in a district general hospital. 620 49

Cancer pain treatment is well established. The World Health Organization provides clinicians an "analgesic ladder" scheme to optimize cancer pain treatment. At the beginning of the pain treatment, oral analgesic administration is preferred. The analgesic dose must be individualized. Many published papers describe the spinal administration of opioids in combination with various other drugs such as bupivacaine in selected patients with cancer pain. Although complications have been reported to be few, some recent reports debate this idea. We first describe a population of 92 cancer patients, 13 of whom received intrathecal morphine. We then present our experience with a separate group of 33 cancer patients who were also managed using intrathecal morphine. Based on this experience, the generally accepted indications for the technique appeared to be justified. Concern about spinal infection is well considered, however. Three out of those patients developed meningitis, a complication rate that is far too high.
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PMID:Spinal analgesia in terminal care: risk versus benefit. 802 38

One hundred patients with intolerable cancer pain were treated with intrathecal bolus injections of morphine(IT morphine). The study began 2 days later after port-A cath implantation and continued during the 12 weeks follow-up period. During the investigation, the dosages, pain intensity, side effects, complications, activity and acceptibility were recorded. Initially, the morphine test does(0.2mg) resulted in pain relief for 8-26 hrs (mean 13.4 hrs). Then, changing the morphine dosages or frequency of injections were relied upon the effect of the opiate to provide 24 hrs pain relief. The mean morphine requirements were 0.32mg in 1st week, 0.44mg in 4th week, 1.25mg in 8th week and 1.43mg in 12th week. The mean morphine dose before IT treatment was 36.4mg. The vast majority of patients' pain intensity decreased prominently after IT morphine treatment. But pain was aggravated in the 12th week although the morphine dose increased. Side effects were minimal, and only one patient suffered from meningitis. Complications included 8 patients with port-A system dysfunction, one with anterior spinal artery syndrome, and one case of cauda equina syndrome. Activity improved significantly and all patients accepted the kind of treatment though some patients did not experience completely satisfactory relief from pain. Intrathecal morphine therapy uses only small amounts of opiate to achieve the optimal level of pain relief. So it offers a beneficial treatment option to patients whose pain has become intolerable or who have poor responsiveness to systemic narcotics.
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PMID:Retrospective investigation of intermittent bolus intrathecal morphine for cancer pain patients. 804 82

A retrospective analysis of 51 patients with cancer pain treated with a continuous i.t. morphine infusion through a tunnelled percutaneous catheter was undertaken. Because of insufficient pain relief with morphine only, 17 of these patients received a morphine/bupivacaine mixture. Pain relief subsequently improved significantly in 10 patients and a moderate improvement was present in 4 patients. An additional analgesic effect of bupivacaine was not shown in 3 patients with clinical signs of severe mental depression. Bupivacaine-induced side effects were absent below a daily dosage of 30 mg by continuous infusion. In all patients a gradual dose increment was observed. No serious complications, neurologic sequelae or meningitis occurred. It is concluded that long-term i.t. infusion of morphine through a tunnelled catheter can provide adequate pain relief in cancer patients with an acceptable risk-benefit ratio. The effects of long-term intrathecal co-administration of local anesthetics, especially bupivacaine, await further prospective evaluation.
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PMID:Long-term intrathecal infusion of morphine and morphine/bupivacaine mixtures in the treatment of cancer pain: a retrospective analysis of 51 cases. 827 4

(1) When oral morphine does not relieve severe pain and when there is no specific treatment for the underlying cause, the first option is to try subcutaneous or intravenous administration. If this standard treatment fails or is poorly tolerated, intrathecal injection is usually preferred as the direct route to the central nervous system. However, one-quarter to one-half of patients still do not achieve adequate pain relief, and adverse effects are relatively frequent; (2) Ziconotide is not an opiate and is not related to the usual classes of drugs that interfere with nervous transmission in the posterior horn of the spinal cord. Marketing authorization has been granted for "severe, chronic pain in patients who require intrathecal analgesia". The Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) recommends continuous infusion via an intrathecal catheter connected to a pump; (3) Clinical evaluation of ziconotide does not include any trials versus morphine in patients with nociceptive pain, or any trials versus tricyclic or antiepileptic drugs in patients with neurogenic pain; (4) In a trial in 220 patients in whom systemic morphine had failed, the mean pain score on a 100-mm visual analogue scale was 69.8 mm after three weeks on ziconotide, compared to 75.8 mm with placebo. This difference, although statistically significant, is clinically irrelevant. The proportion of "responders" (reduction of at least 30% in the initial pain score) was respectively 16.1% and 12.0% (no statistically significant difference); (5) The two other placebo-controlled trials included 112 patients with pain linked to cancer or HIV infection, and 257 patients with non-cancer pain. After a titration phase lasting 5 to 6 days, a combined analysis of the two trials showed that the mean pain score was 48.8 mm with ziconotide and 68.4 mm with placebo (statistically significant difference). However, many patients did not complete the titration phase. Efficacy also appeared to differ according to the type of pain; ziconotide was more effective on cancer pain than on neurogenic pain; (6) The main adverse effects of ziconotide in clinical trials were cerebellovestibular disorders such as ataxia, dizziness, and gait disorders, as well as confusion, hallucinations (increased in cases of overdose), nausea, vomiting, postural hypotension, and urine retention. About 40% of patients had an elevation in muscle creatine kinase activity, through an unknown mechanism; (7) Intrathecal administration carries a risk of infection (especially meningitis). Some patients might experience a paradoxical increase in pain with ziconotide; (8) In practice, the efficacy of ziconotide in relieving neurogenic pain remains to be established. In cancer pain, the available evidence showing that ziconotide is effective after opiate failure is too weak in view of the potential risks. It is better to re-examine and, if possible, correct the reasons for opiate treatment failure rather than prescribe ziconotide.
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PMID:Ziconotide: new drug. Limited analgesic efficacy, too many adverse effects. 1953 Mar 73