Spinal Pain Treatment for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer often spreads to the bones. The spine is the most common site of secondary bone tumors, according to the American Cancer Society. Bone tumors are a major cause of cancer pain, and you have several treatment options available to manage it.

Chemotherapy

• Advanced lung cancer is usually treated with systemic chemotherapy---meaning it travels through the whole body. It can relieve bone cancer pain by either eliminating, shrinking or stabilizing growth of the bone tumors. Controlling the cancer can relieve pain.

Radiation

• Radiation treatments can target spine tumors directly. The radiation damages the cancer cells and keeps them from multiplying. This is one of the most common treatments for managing the pain of cancers that have spread to the bone, according to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Bisphosphonates

• Your doctor might also give you bisphosphonates---typically used to treat weak bones resulting from osteoporosis. While they can improve bone health, they also reduce bone pain---making them a potentially good treatment for bone tumors. Examples include Boniva and Fosamax.

Pain Medications

• Medications that target pain directly are often used for bone pain. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center lists the following pain medications for cancer: opioids (morphine, codeine), fast-acting treatments to relieve "breakthrough pain," drugs normally used for other purposes but have demonstrated ability to relieve pain (including antidepressants and anticonvulsants), and medications that are injected directly into the affected area or are delivered continuously through a pump.

Acupuncture

• According to the American Cancer Society, acupuncture has shown benefit in several clinical studies for relieving cancer pain. The society advises you to talk to your doctor before starting treatment as it is not appropriate for all cancer patients.