Interpleural analgesia through a DuPen catheter for lung cancer pain.

Background: Pain, one of the most frequent symptoms of lung cancer, is difficult to control at times, not only because of the many structures involved but also because of the paths through which the pain is conveyed.
Methods: When usual analgesic treatment did not alleviate pain after chemotherapy in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma, long-term interpleural analgesia was begun. A DuPen epidural catheter was inserted between the pleura parietalis and visceralis for the administration of bupivacaine in a bolus regimen every 6 hours.
Results: Thoracic pain thus was controlled until the patient died 130 days after placement.
Conclusions: The long-term tunneled interpleural placement of DuPen catheters constitutes an alternative to systemic and spinal treatments for thoracic pain due to cancer.