Cancer Pain
Pain control is an integral part of a patient’s care and has been associated with better outcomes in cancer treatment in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. At the Weill Cornell Pain Medicine Center, we offer a range of therapies to treat pain at all levels and specialize in advanced techniques to treat complex, cancer-related pain.
Therapies include:
- Medical management of pain with appropriate adjuvant and opioid therapy;
- Nerve blocks - procedures in which nerves surrounding the pain area are numbed with medication in order to interrupt pain signals;
- Spinal drug delivery for advanced pain conditions, allowing pain relief to be achieved with a fraction of the oral medication dose, which may result in fewer or reduced side effects;
- Treatment of neuropathic pain from tumor-involved nerve compression or as a result of cancer radiation and chemotherapy treatment.
Our care team comprises board-certified doctors who have received specialty training in pain medicine. We offer timely appointments and same-day consultation for more advanced cases.
Inpatient Post Surgical Pain Treatment
For those undergoing surgical treatment of their cancer, the Inpatient Pain Service provides consultation for post-operative pain treatment. Consultation can be had both on day of surgery or as an outpatient in the Pain Medicine Center.
As part of the plan, we:
- Formulate an individualized treatment plan for each patient that utilizes the latest in epidural, regional, and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia techniques;
- Monitor patients on a continual basis to maintain comfort levels and to reduce any side effects or complication risks;
- Educate patients and their families to optimally manage post-surgical pain.
Physicians:
Contact:
Upper East Side
1305 York Avenue, 10th floor
Upper West Side
2315 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Lower Manhattan
156 Williams St, 11th Floor
Phone: 646-962-7246
Thrombosis and Deep Venous Health
Cancer patients may be at higher risk for developing deep vein blood clots (also known as Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT) because of factors in their blood, chemotherapy drugs, damage to their blood vessel walls by surgery and/or chemotherapy, tumors compressing their veins, and being less active. These blood clots can be dangerous and can also cause significant symptoms, including pain and swelling in a leg or arm. The Weill Cornell Vascular Program for Thrombosis and Deep Venous Health offers cancer patients and survivors medical and minimally invasive procedural interventions and strategies to prevent and treat blood clots.
Contact:
2315 Broadway, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10024
Phone: 646-962-9179
Peripheral Neuropathy
Weill Cornell’s Department of Neurology is consistently ranked among the nation’s best, and the department’s Neuropathy Division offers cancer patients and survivors with peripheral neuropathies - a nerve disorder that can cause weakness, numbness, tingling, and pain in arms, legs, hands, or feet - treatments to alleviate symptoms and prevent further damage.
Contact:
1305 York Avenue, 2nd floor
New York, NY, 10021
Phone: 646-962-3202
Sleep Disorders
The Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine, one of the largest academic medical programs in the United States, offers cancer patients and survivors a diagnostic and treatment program to manage their sleep disorders and overall improvement in sleep quality. Cancer pain, the anxiety of living with cancer, and medications may contribute to a disruption in sleep patterns that lead to insomnia, fatigue and moodiness. The Center’s sleep specialists use established and innovative management and treatment strategies in a peaceful and relaxing environment to improve your sleep and quality of life.
Contact:
425 East 61st street, 5th floor
New York, NY 10065
Phone: 646-962-7378
Cancer Rehabilitation Services
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine offers a cancer program that addresses the needs of patients experiencing neuromuscular, musculoskeletal and/or lymphatic symptoms because of their cancer or cancer treatment. These symptoms may include gait disturbances, limb weakness, numbness, tingling, swelling (lymphedema), immediate or delayed onset stiffness, inability to return to sport/recreational activities, pain and fatigue. Symptoms can occur in cancer survivors with or without active disease. The program offers consultations with a cancer specialist examination and therapeutic services with physical and occupational therapists, and complete decongestive therapy by a certified lymphedema therapist.
Contact:
525 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
Phone: 212-746-1500
Palliative Care
Weill Cornell’s interdisciplinary Palliative Care outpatient team provides compassionate care that focuses on maintaining the quality of life of both patient and family. The team’s goal is to alleviate physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering with services available to patients receiving curative treatments and to patients who are no longer candidates for therapy.
For the patient’s convenience, palliative care visits are scheduled in conjunction with oncology appointments and with input from their oncologist. The team sees patients in the Breast, Gastrointestinal, and Thoracic Oncology ambulatory practices and if needed, the team will follow patients during an inpatient stay at Weill Cornell Medical/NewYork-Presbyterian.
Contact:
1484-1486 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10075
Phone: 212-746-7000