Cancer Pain

offered in Scottsdale, Mesa and Phoenix, AZ

Cancer pain might be due to the expanding tumor, the treatments you need to beat the disease, or both. Whatever’s causing your cancer pain, Nikesh Seth, MD, and the Integrated Pain Consultants team can help at their offices in Scottsdale, Mesa, and Phoenix, Arizona. The experienced and compassionate pain experts use advanced treatments, including implantable devices, to control even the worst pain. Call your nearest Integrated Pain Consultants office today or schedule a consultation online for effective cancer pain control.

Cancer Pain Q & A

What is cancer pain?

Pain is a frequent and often severe cancer symptom, especially when the disease reaches an advanced stage. Cancerous masses develop when some of the cells in your body mutate and grow rapidly. Cancer cells don’t have the limited lifespan healthy cells do either, so the mutated cells form clumps that develop into tumors.

Some people with cancer experience little or no pain, and others develop moderate pain. But for many people, cancer pain is extreme and difficult to manage. The Integrated Pain Consultants team has considerable experience helping people with cancer manage all pain levels, including the most severe.

What causes cancer pain?

Cancer pain is usually due to tumors compressing the organs, nerves, or bones as they grow. The bigger a tumor gets, the more the pressure increases, worsening your pain.

In addition, cancer treatments frequently cause pain. Surgery to remove tumors results in postoperative pain, and radiation or chemotherapy treatments can also be painful.

Neuropathy — pain due to nerves damaged during cancer treatment — can also affect some people.

How is cancer pain treated?

While cancer is a frightening disease, and the pain it causes can be severe, it’s usually treatable with a proper pain management plan. The Integrated Pain Consultants team may work with your oncologist to ensure they understand your condition and current treatment so they can optimize your care.

Then, your pain specialist creates a personalized cancer pain treatment plan that could include one or more of the following:

Non-opioid medicines
Opioid medications like morphine
Antidepressants
Antiseizure drugs
Stimulants
Steroids
Physical therapy
Pain counseling
Nerve block injections
Radiofrequency ablation

If you still have challenges managing your pain, Integrated Pain Consultants offers several cutting-edge therapies.

Sophisticated implantable devices, like spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulators, are an option for people whose cancer pain resists other treatments. These small devices are placed under your skin, sending electrical impulses to the nerves that transmit cancer pain to your brain.

These signals interfere with the pain messages, so your brain feels nothing. An intrathecal pain pump is another option for advanced cancer pain. The device goes under your skin, delivering strong pain-killing medications, such as morphine, into the cancerous area.

For effective solutions to cancer pain, call Integrated Pain Consultants or book an appointment online today.