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Pain and Spine Medicine

Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Secondary to Cancer and Chemotherapy may Provide Long-Term Relief when Conservative Management is Unsuccessful: A Case Report

Thursday, October 23, 2025
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM MT
Location: Kiosk 4
Disclosure(s):
Andrei Vainberg, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Nilabhra Sarangi, Other: No financial relationships to disclose
Jessica Zorich, Other: No financial relationships to disclose
Stephen Erosa, DO: No relevant disclosure to display
Case Diagnosis: A 61 year-old female with MS, associated neurogenic bladder with implanted bladder stimulator, ureteral stent and bladder mesh, and history of hemicolectomy secondary to colon cancer, presents with 8 months of 10/10 pelvic floor pain.

Case Description or Program Description: The patient underwent several months of physical therapy (PT) and Kegel exercises, but experienced minimal relief from her pelvic and perineal pain. She was then treated with a hypogastric nerve block, which provided 100% pain relief for three days. However, the pain returned, and a ganglion impar block was performed, resulting in complete pain relief for one day. Subsequently, a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulator trial was placed at L1 and S2, yielding a 75% improvement in pain. Two months later, a permanent DRG stimulator was implanted at the same levels.

Setting: Outpatient Pain Clinic

Assessment/Results: A pain scale from 0 to 10 was used to assess treatment efficacy, where 0 represents no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain imaginable. The patient reported a significant reduction in pain, with an overall 70% improvement in her pelvic and perineal pain, reducing from a baseline of 10/10 to 3/10. This was assessed several days following implantation and at the six month follow-up.

Discussion (relevance): Chronic pain is a common issue for many cancer survivors. Although data on managing chronic post-cancer pain remains limited, this case report contributes valuable insights into potential treatments. The use of DRG may be a promising treatment for patients who do not respond to conventional or surgical therapies. Further research is needed to expand the understanding of chronic pain management in post-cancer patients and improve patient outcomes.

Conclusions: DRG may be an effective solution for chronic pelvic pain syndrome secondary to cancer when conservative treatments are ineffective.