Cancer-induced Pain Management by Nanotechnology-based Approach

Cancer patients frequently report experiencing pain as one of their symptoms. Cancerrelatedpain is often caused by the tumor itself, especially when the tumor is pressing on nerves. Inaddition to the pain caused by the tumor itself, patients also experience discomfort from thetreatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and the diagnostic procedures. Themajority of today's pain therapies rely on opioid analgesics, which have not been shown to beeffective. The adverse effects of opioids and their addictive properties call for the development ofinnovative treatment techniques. Nanotechnology offers answers to the issues raised above, whichare related to the utilization of more conventional modes of therapy. These nanotechnology-basednanotherapeutics reduce the systemic toxicity, offering outstanding selectiveness and prolongedrelease of the analgesic drugs at the target site. Thus, these reduce cancer-induced pain in thepatients. In this article, we will explain the mechanism behind the most common types of pain thatare caused by cancer, including neuropathic, somatic, and visceral pain. In addition, acomprehensive discussion is held on the use of various nanotherapeutics as analgesic drug carriers,as well as on their impacts and the potential opportunities that lie ahead in the field of cancer paintreatment.