Most patients have access to a Pain Management service, but sometimes standard forms of pain control are not sufficient to prevent pain from advanced cancer.

In these cases the region that is causing pain may be targeted directly, either by destroying the tumour causing the symptoms or by selectively targeting individual nerves.

The pain consultants who are part of IOS/LION have pioneered the insertion of special pumps inserted beneath the skin that are able to then release pain controlling drugs directly into the area around the spinal cord. This may bring relief from cancer that has spread to the bones of the spine.