[Home therapy approach in cancer patients--pain control (case 3-1)]

We present a case study of 34 years old female patient who had intractable pain in terminal stage of lung cancer. She complained severe persistent shooting pain in left lateral pectoral region, where was a wound of thoracotomy. She was given several analgesics orally in order of their efficacy, but could not get sufficient pain relief. From the nature of the pain that she had, neurological findings, and the result of thermography examination, we decided that the pain was associated with the failure of sympathetic nervous system. Then, she was admitted to our hospital and received the thoracic epidural block after epidural catheterization. But she could not get continuous pain relief. For the purpose of her return to the home therapy, we tried to administer MS Contin to her. Subsequently, she took a turn for the worse and died due to respiratory dysfunction in our hospital in the middle of her pain treatment.