Rehabilitation > Pain Management and the Cancer Patient

Pain Management and the Cancer Patient

Pain due to cancer or its treatment can be well controlled in most situations. People with cancer are better able to function and maintain their quality of life with safe, effective pain-reducing medications and procedures that relieve or eliminate discomfort.

There are different types of cancer and pain. To begin, the pain physician conducts an evaluation, including a detailed discussion of symptoms and their impact on the patient's energy level, sleep and mood. These factors may influence the experience of pain and the approach to treatment. Pain experts select the most effective treatment once they diagnosis the cause and type of pain. Patients may experience pain due to the size and location of the tumor, as a side effect of treatment, or for other reasons. A patient's emotional state can also trigger hormonal changes that affect pain.

A Range of Pain Treatment Options
Because every person responds differently to pain, patients and physicians work closely to design a flexible and effective treatment plan that extends beyond their hospital stay. Treatment options range from medication to interventional pain management procedures to integrative medicine techniques.

In some cases, a medical pain physician works with patients and their physicians to develop a plan for using pain medications. Patients meet with pain physician Steven Bennett, DO, of Greenwich Pain Consulting Services, Inc., who is board certified in pain management and palliative care. He helps to formulate a regimen of medications and monitors the results and side effects to make adjustments in doses and treatment plan, as necessary. Patients also learn to use medications properly.

Another resource is Greenwich Hospital's Sackler Center for Pain Management, which includes interventional pain physicians such as Cassandra Tribble, MD, and Paul Sygall, MD. Interventional pain physicians who are board-certified in anesthesiology and pain management provide many pain-reducing procedures, including temporary and permanent nerve blocks, implanted infusion pumps, spinal cord stimulators and more. These techniques enable some patients to take a lower dose of medicine for relief.

The hospital's Integrative Medicine Department also offers a variety of complementary therapies that may assist patients in managing cancer-related pain.

For a complete list of pain management services offered at Greenwich Hospital, see the Pain Management section of this web site.