Pain Management In Hepatocellular Carcinoma patients

AbstractThe liver is the largest internal organ in the body,weighting 3 pounds accounting for approximately 2% to 3% of the total body weight of an adult,occupying a large region mostly on the Rt side of the body below the diaphragm and behind ribs 5 through 10. The liver is covered with the capsule of Glisson ,which envelops the hepatic artery,portal vein,and bile duct at the hilum of the liver.Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary cancer of hepatocytes (liver cells) that most typically occurs in the setting of known risk factors including, among others, cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis virus infections. Hepatitis B and C account for approximately 80% of cases worldwide.Pain is a physiological phenomenon or symptom that eventually produces responses that serve to warn and protect the individual, whether human or animal, from impending tissue damage, thereby helping to maintain bodily integrity and thus secure survival.Liver cancer pain patients commonly experience more than one kind of pain. The pain may be continous or intermitent or acute pain superimposed on chronic background pain. The pain may be disease-related or treatment-related. Chronic pain conditions, such as low back pain, that were present prior to the cancer may also continue to be problematic. Psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive style may influence pain perception and contribute to the intensity of the pain.