A case of refractory cancer pain by malignant psoas syndrome successfully treated with radiation therapy

Abstract

Malignant psoas syndrome (MPS) causes severe pain that is difficult to manage. We report a case of refractory cancer pain from malignant psoas syndrome successfully treated with radiation therapy in combination with analgesic agents. The patient was a 31-year-old female who had left-back pain 5 months before admission. She felt paresthesia in her left thigh and could not walk. CT detected enlargement of her cervix and a cyst on her left psoas muscle, and the pathology detected squamous cell carcinoma in her cervix and cyst. She was diagnosed with metastatic cervical cancer and malignant psoas syndrome, and treatment for refractory pain by a combination of analgesic agents and radiation therapy was successful. This case suggests that a combination of analgesic agents and radiation therapy may be effective for symptom relief of malignant psoas syndrome.