Impact of Early Intervention in Pain Management in Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study in a Tertiary Care Cancer Hospital.

OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to assess the role of early intervention of nerve blocks in the management of cancer pain. We also aimed to study its effect on the quality of life and the opioid requirement. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty patients with cancer having pain, 18 to 75 years were randomised and divided into an intervention group and analgesic titration with opioids group. Patients in the intervention group received nerve block and residual pain managed with opioids. Control group patients were managed with opioids alone. RESULTS The mean visual analog scale score showed statistically significant improvement in both the groups (8.56±1.07 to 2.5±0.63 in the intervention group, 9.3±0.74 to 3.3±0.75 in the control group at 1 month (P=0.000). This was associated with a decrease in the opioid requirement in the intervention group at 1 week (P=0.014) with only 4 patients receiving morphine at the end of 1 month.The change in the Karnofsky scale was statistically significant from baseline to 1 month in both groups. DISCUSSION Interventional pain management has a definitive role in palliative setup for pain management. Pain relief was obtained in both groups, but the quality of pain relief was better in the intervention group with an associated reduction in the opioid requirement.