This session attempts to define Conflicts of Interest (COI) and discusses the influence of COI on neuromodulation research, outcomes and policy coverages.
The manifestation of pain in patients with cancer is common and debilitating. Epidemiological studies highlight that about a quarter of patients with newly-diagnosed malignancies experience pain and a substantial portion are refractory to conventional management. The cause of pain in cancer patients may be related to the primary cancer itself, spread to other organ systems from metastases, cancer-related treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy), and other complications. The most widely used interventional approaches to treat cancer-related pain include local anesthetic and steroid injections, neuraxial analgesia, and sympathetic block. Recent evidence has highlighted that neuromodulation interventions may offer another modality that is effective in treating cancer-related pain. Preliminary evidence may also support that neuromodulation may affect chemosensitivity and tumor growth, although future studies are warranted.
This session will review new emerging indications of neuromodulation as well as explore novel mechanisms of action.
This session examines the expansion of PNS applications and the evidence in support of PNS in various pain disorders. PNS has evolved from a large electrode placed with cut down and connected to traditional generators to smaller devices often with external power sources. Clinical applications have expanded from traditional neuropathic indications to nociceptive pain. Yet, challenges remain in the strength of evidence and study designs to widespread support use and reimbursement in PNS.