Esophageal Cancer Pain Management & Control
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Pain Management for Esophageal Cancer
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we take our patients’ comfort seriously. During your first visit to our hospital, you will meet with a pain management practitioner who will assess any pain you may be feeling. We use many tools to assess pain, including symptom tracking and scales. Once your pain is assessed, our team will create a comprehensive esophageal cancer plan to meet your needs.
We also provide a variety of minimally invasive procedures to help you manage any potential uncomfortable side effects of esophageal cancer treatment. Brachytherapy is one of the many esophageal cancer pain management techniques we use at CTCA. If there is bleeding in the esophagus after treatment, your doctor can perform local brachytherapy to the affected area. Also, if the esophagus is too tight after treatment, your doctor may place a stent to keep it open.
Our goal is to be proactive, by treating pain before it begins. The right approach depends on many factors, including stage of disease, severity of pain and type of cancer. When developing your plan, we will use a variety of innovative approaches, which may include:
- Mind-body medicine techniques, like guided imagery and relaxation training.
- Radiation therapy to shrink a tumor.
- Surgery to remove part or all of a tumor.
- Nerve blocks to prevent pain signals from reaching the brain.
- Painkillers or other medications.
Throughout your esophageal cancer treatment, our pain management team will monitor your pain and adjust the course of treatment when necessary. Your pain management practitioner will also consult with your overall care team to ensure a streamlined approach.
Next Topic: Naturopathic Medicine for Esophageal Cancer
