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Author Spotlight: Quantifying Pain Experience – An Illustrative Approach Using the Pain Body Diagram
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Pain: Persistent postsurgery and bone cancer-related pain
Liviu Feller1, Razia Abdool Gafaar Khammissa1, Michael Bouckaert2
11 Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.
The Journal of International Medical Research
|January 12, 2019
Summary
Neuropathic pain arises from complex neural dysregulation. Preventing postsurgical pain may involve blocking N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, while cancer pain involves central sensitization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Oncology
Background:
- Neuropathic pain is a complex condition involving dysregulated neural pathways, neurotransmitters, and cognitive circuits.
- Risk factors include age, genetics, and prior pain conditions.
- Surgical pain and cancer can lead to persistent neuropathic pain via central sensitization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the clinical features, pathogenesis, and management principles of persistent postsurgical and cancer pain.
- To highlight the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockade in preventing postsurgical pain.
- To explain the mechanisms of cancer-induced persistent pain, including central sensitization.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on neuropathic pain mechanisms.
- Analysis of factors contributing to postsurgical and cancer pain.
- Discussion of therapeutic strategies, including receptor blockade.
Main Results:
- Persistent postsurgical pain can develop due to central sensitization, potentially preventable by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockade.
- Cancer pain, especially from bone metastases, induces central sensitization through local factors and tumor microenvironment.
- Neurochemical reorganization in dorsal horn neurons characterizes persistent cancer pain.
Conclusions:
- Neuropathic pain generation is multifactorial, involving sensory pathways, neurotransmitters, and neural plasticity.
- Early intervention, such as N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockade, may mitigate persistent postsurgical pain.
- Understanding cancer pain mechanisms is crucial for effective management of persistent pain in oncology patients.
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