Efficacy and Safety of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks to Treat Head and Neck Cancer-Related Pain: A Narrative Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cancer is a devastating disease that affects many people across the world. Cancer has a variety of different locations and body systems it can affect, making it a complex disease to manage at times, especially when dealing with cancer of the head and neck.

RECENT FINDINGS: Patients suffering from this disease can experience significant levels of pain, and it is made worse by the treatments for the disease, causing additional pain. Sphenopalatine ganglion blocks are a form of pain management observed in head and neck cancer treatment. This technique aims to disrupt the signaling pathways of the sphenopalatine ganglion and serve as an efficient, minimally invasive form of acute pain management. In this review, we will discuss the pathophysiology of head and neck cancer-related pain, the details of the sphenopalatine ganglion block, and its efficacy in clinical use, particularly with head and neck cancer patients.