Spotlight: Ketamine as an Adjunct Therapy for Refractory Cancer Pain: A Case Report (Emshoff, et al, 2025)

Ketamine as an Adjunct Therapy for Refractory Cancer Pain: A Case Report - PubMed

Adequate analgesia in patients with advanced cancer can pose a significant clinical challenge, particularly when refractory to conventional opioid-based therapies. Refractory cancer pain, characterized by inadequate relief despite optimized opioid regimens or intolerable side effects, often prompts …

PubMedJessica B Emshoff

 Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, may represent a useful adjunctive therapy due to its unique analgesic properties and potential to mitigate opioid tolerance and hyperalgesia.

"La ketamina como una terapia adjunta para el dolor del cáncer refractario: un informe de caso"

Aunque tradicionalmente reconocido por sus efectos anestésicos y disociativos, la ketamina subanestética y subanestética puede ser útil en cuidados paliativos para controlar el dolor severo e intratable.

La ketamina, un antagonista de los receptores N-metil-D-aspartato (NMDA), puede representar una terapia adyuvante útil debido a sus propiedades analgésicas únicas y potencial para mitigar la tolerancia de los opioides y la hiperalgesia.

See Also

Publications

Psychedelics in Palliative Care (Glass, 2025) with contributions by Institute Fellows, Thais Salles Araujo, MD (Psilocybin) and Michael DeMarco, PhD (Ketamine)

Psychedelic Institute of Mental Health & Family TherapyMichael DeMarco, PhD