[The percutaneous cordotomy: an effective oncological pain treatment in palliative care]

Oncological pain in palliative care is common. This article presents a 61-year-old man with a Pancoast tumor which caused severe pain and impaired his quality of life. Multimodal analgesia was not effective due to a limited analgesic effect and side effects. After one year the patient underwent a percutaneous cordotomy which resulted in a complete and long-term pain relief and an improvement of social and physical functioning. Reflecting on this case, the patient might have benefited from an earlier referral to a pain clinic that performs the cordotomy. Timely referral is recommended to discuss the possibility of a cordotomy with the patient in the early palliative phase. During this phase, the patient can make a well-considered decision whether the advantages and disadvantages of analgesics still outweigh those of a cordotomy. Early treatment might lead to a longer and improved quality of life with less or without pain.