頭頸部領域の癌性疼痛に対する治療法の検討

抄録

Compared with the local findings of cancer in the head and neck region, worsening of the general condition is gradual. That is why countermeasures against pain become very important in treating these patients. Cancerous pain may be divided into three stages i. e. the early middle and terminal stages, and the method of treatment for each stage is explained in the following. Non-narcotic analgesics may be given orally; suppositories are valuable because they can be used simultaneously with other therapies; acupuncture is effective for early and middle-stage pains and has a painrelieving effect which is different in type from the relief gained by analgesics. For the pain of the middle and terminal stages X-irradiation of 450rads given for the fraction of five or 250rads for the fraction of ten in effective. It is also possible to use several chemotherapeutic agents together to relieve pain. Needless to say this must be done under strict observation of the general condition of the patient.
To relieve the pain of the terminal stage, use of narcotics under close supervision may be considered. In such cases, the Brompton mixture may be used at fixed intervals to keep patients in a pain-free condition. Of course it is necessary to keep the local area clean, to encourage the patient to uplift morale and to combine various methods in relieving the suffering of patients tormented by cancerous pain.