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| Lung Cancer And Back Pain |
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Question:
My 27 year old nephew had a lung removed 18 months ago that was
cancerous and it appears to have been sucessful. about 8 months ago he
started having back pain which has steadly gotten worse. After x-rays,
MRI's and CAT scans his medical team can find no conclusive reason for
this pain and it is approaching disabling.
One theory is that in
cutting the muscles and nerves that signals sent by these nerves are
not reaching the receptors and somehow creating this pain. Can anybody
share infromation, links or contacts about this?
Answer:
Lung cancer in 28-year olds is pretty rare.
What was the histology?
The stage?
Back pain due to "benign" causes tends to get better with restand time. Back
pain from metastatic disease tends to get worse with time despite rest.
I have lung cancer and had a lobectomy a year ago, I still experience
pain in my ribcage and back. I was referred to a pain management
specialist. He diagnosed it as Post Surgical Pain Syndrome and
prescribed painkillers that have been pretty effective.
My
understanding from my research on the topic is that it is fairly
common in many kinds of surgery and especially with thoracic surgery
and that pain may continue for quite some time, even years in some
cases. I would say your nephew should ask for referral to a pain
management doctor, the pain does NOT have to be disabling.
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