[Continuous intrathecal opiate therapy with a portable drug pump in cancer pain]

Terminal cancer patients report substantial pain frequently. Pain control can be achieved in many patients with conventional methods and analgesics. However, significant numbers of patients remain in pain. For these patients, continuous intrathecal narcotics delivered by an external portable pump via a subcutaneous port, offer substantially improved pain control with minimal risk of serious systemic complications. Duration of treatment in our 40 cancer patients lasted up to 11 month. Continuous intrathecal morphine or fentanyl relieved pain till death due to cancer. Supraspinal side effects of opioids were only seen during the first week of intrathecal narcotic treatment. No serious complications like meningitis or other infections were observed. Postmortem examination also could not detect changes of the cord or signs of arachnoiditis due to intrathecal narcotics or the implanted catheter. We conclude, that continuous intrathecal narcotic infusion by means of small portable pump is a very efficient method to control terminal cancer pain and enables treatment on an outpatient basis until death.