ABSTRACT
A 57-year-old female underwent abdominoperineal resection for rectal cancer. Although she received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, she had presacral recurrence with pain 26 months postoperatively. We provided palliative care in parallel with systemic chemotherapy, but she had difficulty controlling pain despite using high-dose opioids at 43 months after surgery. Multimodal therapy contributed to a reduction in opioid use for a brief time. Nevertheless, she required high-dose opioid therapy again at 50 months after the procedure. Since she used a rescue dose for relieving anticipatory anxiety for pain, we estimated that she developed chemical coping. After we tried analgesic adjuvant therapy and psychotherapy, her opioid use was reduced. For 10 months afterward, her disease worsened with time, but her pain was well-controlled. In cases where it is difficult to control pain, protection against exacerbation or opioid dose escalation should be considered. Furthermore, psychological contexts, including chemical coping, should also be considered. It may lead to the use of a proper dose of opioids and improve quality of life for patients.
