Abstract
One of the most delicate tasks of the medical profession is caring for the terminal cancer patient suffering from intolerable pain with no prospect of recovery. However desperate the situation is, the physician is always bound by the Hippocratic oath to alleviate pain by all efforts, even when the inevitable end is approaching. A recently (re)discovered reaction of primary sensory neurons, transganglionic degenerative atrophy (see Discussion), offers a new, noninvasive technique of alleviating pain in terminal cancer patients by means of iontophoretic application of microtubule inhibitors to the skin. The result of this treatment in seven cancer patients is described and the possible mechanisms underlying these therapy results are discussed.
Supported by Research Grants No. 06/4-01/449 from the Hungarian Ministry of Health and No. 375/82/3.2. from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg
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Szücs, A., Csillik, B., Knyihár-Csillik, E. (1984). Treatment of Terminal Pain in Cancer Patients by Means of Iontophoresis of Vinca Alkaloids. In: Zimmermann, M., Drings, P., Wagner, G. (eds) Pain in the Cancer Patient. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 89. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82028-1_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82028-1_21
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