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Chronic Abdominal Pain pp 129–134Cite as

Cancer-Related Abdominal Pain

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Abstract

Pain is a fairly common complaint in the cancer population, correlating with disease stage. Up to one-half of cancer patients experience persistent pain complaints after oncologic therapy. Abdominal pain may arise from primary or metastatic disease of the viscera, nerve, and/or somatic tissue. Nociception from tumor burden is due to ischemia, inflammation, distention, and compression of affected viscera, nervous tissue, vasculature, and abdominal wall. Cancer-related abdominal pain is also sequelae of the associated treatment for the underlying malignancy, such as with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Cancer-related abdominal pain can be managed adequately in most cancer patients by following the Analgesic Ladder Guidelines established by the World Health Organization. In addition, abdominal pain can be managed by employing interventional pain procedures targeting both afferent visceral and somatosensory pain pathways.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 409, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Thomas Chai M.D., J. Gabriel Tsang M.B.B.S. & Brian M. Bruel M.D.

Authors
  1. Thomas Chai M.D.
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  2. J. Gabriel Tsang M.B.B.S.
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  3. Brian M. Bruel M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Gabriel Tsang M.B.B.S. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Director, Carolinas Pain Institute and Clinical Research Center, Professor of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Leonardo Kapural

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Chai, T., Tsang, J.G., Bruel, B.M. (2015). Cancer-Related Abdominal Pain. In: Kapural, L. (eds) Chronic Abdominal Pain. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1992-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1992-5_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1991-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1992-5

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