- Procedures to help stop pain impulses from going through the nerves



Surgery

Nerve pathways that carry pain impulses to the brain can be blocked,leading to reduced pain perception. To block these pathways, a neurosurgeon may cut nerves, usually near the spinal cord. When the nerves that relay pain are destroyed, feelings of pain, pressure, and temperature can no longer be felt. Only surgeons with special skills, who are also expert in pain management should do this kind of surgery. These surgeons normally work with other pain specialists to explore other methods of pain control before they cut nerves.

Nerve block

A nerve block is a procedure where a local anesthetic (a numbing drug), which may be combined with a steroid, is injected into or around a nerve or into the space around the spinal cord to block pain. After the injection, the nerve is no longer able to relay pain so the pain is relieved for some time. For longer lasting pain relief, phenol or alcohol can be injected. A nerve block may cause muscle paralysis or a loss of all feeling in the affected area.

Spinal analgesia

Low doses of pain medicine may be injected into the fluid around the spine (called intrathecal injection). If this works, a tube and a pump may be used to deliver the pain medicine directly into the spinal fluid to control the pain. Morphine is often used for this purpose, and you can still have side effects like itching and constipation. Surgery is done to put the small pump into your body.

Epidural

Certain kinds of pain may respond to pain medicine that is injected into the space around the layers of the spine. If this works, a pump can be implanted so that you can get pain medicines directly around the nerves. Numbness or weakness of the treated area can result.

Other cancer treatments might be given to shrink the tumor:

Sometimes,when mesothelioma cancer pain is caused by the size of the tumor pressing on nearby pain sensitive nerves,the tumor size can be reduced by shrinking the tumor to relieve the pressure effect of the tumor on the nearby nerves, thus reducing pain.These method is not aimed at achieving a cure for the cancer , it is just aimed at reducing the pain caused by the cancer. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiation may be used in this way.There are also some surgical procedures that can also be used to shrink the tumors ,these surgeries are known as debulking procedures.

Radioactive injections are sometimes used when the cancer has spread to many places in the bone -- the radioactive drug settles in the bones near the cancer and helps to stop its growth and relieve pain. In a few cases, other treatments like radiofrequency ablation can be used in certain areas of the body. In this treatment, electrodes are inserted near the tumor to heat and destroy the cancer.