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# Spotlight: Ketamine as an Adjunct Therapy for Refractory Cancer Pain: A Case Report (Emshoff, et al, 2025)
- URL: https://psychedelicmentalhealth.net/ketamine-as-an-adjunct-therapy-for-refractory-cancer-pain-a-case-report-emshoff-et-al-2025/
- Published: 2025-08-12T11:24:33.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-12T11:27:09.000Z
- Description: "While traditionally recognized for its anesthetic and dissociative effects, low-dose, subanesthetic ketamine can be useful in palliative care to manage severe, intractable pain."
- Author: Michael DeMarco, PhD
- Tags: ketamine, ketamina, cancer, palliative care, pain management, cancer pain, palliativo

[Ketamine as an Adjunct Therapy for Refractory Cancer Pain: A Case Report - PubMedAdequate 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 …![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/a8/61a8484e-df24-47fb-903c-d012ff10c983/content/images/icon/favicon-192-39.png)PubMedJessica B Emshoff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/a8/61a8484e-df24-47fb-903c-d012ff10c983/content/images/thumbnail/pubmed-meta-image-v2-38.jpg)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40788765/)

*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

[PublicationsPsychedelics in Palliative Care (Glass, 2025) with contributions by Institute Fellows, Thais Salles Araujo, MD (Psilocybin) and Michael DeMarco, PhD (Ketamine)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/a8/61a8484e-df24-47fb-903c-d012ff10c983/content/images/icon/eye-sticker-3-137.gif)Psychedelic Institute of Mental Health & Family TherapyMichael DeMarco, PhD![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/a8/61a8484e-df24-47fb-903c-d012ff10c983/content/images/thumbnail/c07aa73d43e8f094-4.png)](https://psychedelicmentalhealth.net/publications/)

[Psychedelics in Palliative Care](https://psychedelicmentalhealth.net/psychedelics-in-palliative-care-glass-oxford-university-press/) (Glass, 2025)