Nerve block treatment eases late-stage cancer pain, restores patient's fighting spirit

A 48-year-old woman battling advanced ovarian cancer found relief from severe, persistent pain through nerve block treatment at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. The cancer had spread to her stomach, causing debilitating abdominal and back pain that even high-dose morphine patches could not fully control, severely impacting her quality of life and will to live.

Pain management specialists evaluated her condition and, with her consent, performed nerve block procedures. This intervention immediately eased her constant, intense pain. A subsequent visceral nerve block further improved her emotional and mental state, helping her rediscover the courage to continue her fight against cancer.

Shih Ping-cheng, director of the Pain Management Department at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, explained that tumor pain causes not only physical discomfort but also insomnia, anxiety, and depression, potentially diminishing a patient's willingness to undergo treatment. Beyond medication like oral painkillers and morphine patches, interventional pain therapies such as nerve blocks are used.

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Tumor pain not only causes severe discomfort but also easily leads to insomnia, anxiety, and depression, and can even make patients gradually lose their willingness to accept treatment.

Nerve block procedures, guided by ultrasound or X-ray, precisely inject anesthetic agents, sometimes with concentrated glucose water, near targeted nerves. This blocks pain signals and reduces inflammatory substances around the nerves. The treatment can also alleviate pain caused by fibrous tissue and adhesions that pull on nerves in cancer patients. The specific nerves targeted depend on the pain's origin, such as bone metastasis, spinal compression, joint pain, or visceral pain.

Shih noted that diagnostic nerve blocks are often performed first. If effective, further treatments like X-ray-guided visceral nerve blocks or radiofrequency ablation can enhance results. Most patients experience a significant reduction in continuous background pain and a decrease in the frequency and intensity of sudden, severe pain episodes. The effects can last for weeks to months and can be repeated as needed.

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Nerve block treatment, once considered a last resort, is now a viable option for managing moderate to severe cancer pain, even before strong opioids become ineffective.