Doctors at Geneva University Hospitals have discovered a remarkable phenomenon: cancer patients with a severe form of COVID-19 experienced a dramatic reduction in oncological pain. Until now, the combination of coronavirus and oncology only implied a deterioration of the patient’s condition. The article about the discovered phenomenon was published in PAIN, a leading international scientific publication dedicated to the study of pain.
A multi-professional team of doctors at the University Hospitals of Geneva, led by Dr. Lisa Hentch, Chief of Palliative Medicine, noticed an unusual phenomenon. They observed three oncology patients – men between the ages of 67 and 84 – who were experiencing severe pain that could not be relieved by opioids. All three became infected with the coronavirus and experienced it in a very severe form, requiring hospitalization. After being hospitalized, all three told the doctors that they noticed a significant decrease in pain immediately after being infected with the virus, and even its temporary disappearance. One of the patients also noted that after recovering from the coronavirus infection, the cancer pain began to return.
Scientists have already noticed unusual conditions in patients who struggled with the infection. Some patients whose lungs were severely damaged and had low levels of oxygen in their blood did not experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. The number of episodes should remain the same. End of story podcast ad
Although scientists caution that more research is needed to confirm this hypothesis, these cases suggest that coronavirus infection may have caused atypical symptoms due to nervous system dysfunction. The fact is that pain and shortness of breath are subjective experiences that result from complex processes in which the insular cortex of the brain plays an important role.
In particular, this region is responsible for a person’s perception of pain and breathlessness. Because the coronavirus causes severe inflammation in the body, it can disrupt the normal function of the islet cortex. And then a person may not notice that something is hurting or that it is hard to breathe.
The alternative hypothesis is that the coronavirus causes dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system and interferes with the transmission of nerve signals responsible for the sensation of pain and conscious breathing. These observations may provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for pain perception and new therapeutic options.