Nerve Block for Cancer Pain -Necessity of Community Collaboration-

Abstract

Opioids have evolved with respect to treating cancer pain. However, there are some cancer patients for whom opioid therapy does not provide adequate pain relief. Interventional therapy, primarily nerve blocks, may be effective for such patients. For cancer patients, nerve blocks are often performed primarily through nerve destruction. However, for physicians who do not routinely perform nerve blocks, nerve blocks with nerve destruction present a high hurdle. Since not all hospitals also have physicians with sufficient nerve blocking skills, community collaboration seems to be important. Having face-to-face relations on a regular basis may help build regional cooperation in cancer pain.