Throat Cancer Treatments — Pain Management

Pain Management for Throat Cancer 

Pain management is an essential aspect of throat cancer care. Pain affects each person differently, depending upon factors such as age, perception, pain threshold, as well as the site and stage of their throat cancer.

Although pain control is important for all cancer patients, it is particularly important for people battling throat cancer and other head and neck cancers. This is because vital functions encompass the head and neck area, such as communication and eating.

For throat cancer patients, pain may arise from the throat cancer itself, or as a side effect of throat cancer treatment. Tissue damage in the pharynx can lead to pain in the corresponding region of the face. Some patients experience referred pain in the ears. Regardless, unrelieved pain can affect your eating, sleeping, activity, mood, concentration, and even your immune system. Aside from providing pain relief, pain management methods during throat cancer treatment can help improve your overall sense of well-being and quality of life.

Throat Cancer Pain Management at CTCA

The Pain Management Department at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) strives to give pain the recognition and attention it needs. Our pain management clinicians offer a full complement of traditional medical, interventional and allied therapies.

Since each person experiences throat cancer differently (i.e., patients vary in type and stage of the disease, and responses to treatments), the Pain Management Department manages pain on an individual basis.

Upon your arrival at a CTCA hospital for throat cancer treatment, one of our pain management clinicians will conduct an initial evaluation. Part of this evaluation will involve an assessment of your pain. This assessment includes evaluation of your pain level, the nature of your pain, where the pain is, how long you have had pain, and what makes it better or worse.

An accurate assessment of your pain experience provides a basis for various pain management techniques. Our pain management clinicians will work closely with you to develop a personal pain management plan that is part of your comprehensive throat cancer treatment plan. Throughout your treatment, your pain management clinician will also consult regularly with your overall cancer care team to balance pain medicine with supportive options.

Pharmacological pain relief

Pharmacological pain control involves the use of analgesic drugs (or painkillers) and other medications that intensify the analgesics' effects or modify your mood or pain perception. Throat cancer patients at CTCA benefit from medication therapy as a pain control method.

Non-pharmacological pain relief

Non-pharmacological pain control attempts to promote your comfort. Our pain management clinicians consult with other CTCA throat cancer treatment departments, such as surgical oncology and radiation oncology, to provide methods such as:

• Radiation therapy - Aims to reduce pain by shrinking the tumor
• Surgery - When a tumor is pressing on nerves or other body parts, surgery to remove all or part of the tumor can relieve pain
• Nerve injections, implanted pain pumps, or nerve stimulation devices

Additional pain relief methods

Our pain management team also works with other CTCA departments, such as Oncology Rehabilitation, Mind-Body Medicine and Pastoral Care, to provide additional methods for managing throat cancer pain, including:

• Relaxation therapy, guided imagery, visualization
• Physical therapy
• Auriculotherapy
• Neuromuscular Re-education with Electrical Stimulation
• Emotional support and counseling
• Spiritual help

Because of the complex nature of throat cancer pain, successful pain management usually involves a combination of techniques.