Strategies for Complex Cancer Pain

Kris C.P. Vissers, MD, PhD, FIPP, JPI, PL

Dr. Kris Vissers discusses the importance of interventional procedures for complex cancer pain. Dr. Vissers describes historical perspectives of oncological pain treatment and places emphasis on the current shift toward enhancing cancer patients’ length of survival with minimal pain. He explains that pain is still the most dominant and highly complex symptom in oncological states, making it an ongoing challenge for pain specialists, including oncologists. Dr. Vissers also mentions that promoting longevity is the primary goal for most oncologists and advocates the need to increase focus on interventional pain management options that also enhance quality of care. Pain scale is directly correlated to quality of life for oncology patients.