by Experts at Sheba Medical Center in Israel have developed a new radiation treatment that significantly reduces the intense pain caused by pancreatic cancer by targeting the celiac plexus nerve, giving patients less suffering while undergoing life-saving treatments, and has now been included in new U.S. guidelines for treating this aggressive disease.
Pancreatic cancer, which also causes severe pain in patients, is one of the deadliest malignancies, leading to high mortality rates in the months following an often too late diagnosis. Experts at Sheba Medical Center have developed a new method to relieve the pain patients experience during aggressive life-saving treatments. The discovery was published in the latest issue of The Lancet medical journal.
Severe pain is a characteristic of pancreatic cancer because the pancreas is very close to a central nerve called the celiac plexus. Pancreatic tumors tend to compress or infiltrate this nerve, causing very severe pain. This pain causes significant suffering in patients, affecting their daily routine and quality of life.
Until now, standard treatments for this pain have included analgesics or, in severe cases where the pain is resistant to medication, invasive treatment – injecting anesthetic substances directly into the celiac plexus nerve and disabling it (celiac block).
The new study, which began a few years ago, is led by Dr. Jacob Lawrence, director of the Sheba Medical Center’s Institute of Radiation Therapy, in collaboration with the Israel Cancer Association and other researchers. The study examined a treatment method that involves a single radiation session using high-dose X-rays directly to the nerve involved in the severe pain.
The international study, conducted in the United States, Canada, Poland, Portugal and Israel, involved 125 patients who received a single high-dose radiotherapy to the celiac plexus nerve. Fifty-three percent of them reported a significant reduction in pain following treatment and a notable improvement in their quality of life.
Reported side effects were mostly mild and included fatigue and nausea on the day of treatment.
Pain is just one factor
The study results have already reached an important milestone: the treatment method has been incorporated into the new US guidelines for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and is now available to most patients in the United States. Patients can now also benefit from innovative treatment at Sheba Medical Center.
“Pain is one of the most distressing factors for patients with pancreatic cancer,” says Dr. Lawrence. “It is severe pain that affects patients’ daily functioning and quality of life. In cases where pain is severe, patients require high doses of morphine-like medications, which have serious side effects. The new radiation treatment is relatively simple and can significantly alleviate patients’ immense suffering.”
The celiac plexus is a complex network of nerves located in the abdomen near the pancreas. When pancreatic tumors compress or infiltrate this nerve, it causes severe pain. The traditional method of relieving pain is to block this nerve with an injection of anesthetic, a procedure known as a celiac block.
The new method developed by Sheba Medical Center uses a single session of high-dose radiation therapy to achieve similar pain relief, offering a less invasive option with mild side effects. This advancement is now part of the U.S. guidelines for treating pancreatic cancer, making it accessible to many American patients.
