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Harsanyi H, Yang L, Harper A, Jarada TN, Quan ML, Cheung WY, Lupichuk S, Cuthbert C, Xu Y. Improvement in patient-reported pain among patients with metastatic cancer and its association with opioid prescribing. Support Care Cancer 2023; 31:427. [PMID: 37369812 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-023-07893-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Opioids are a mainstay of cancer pain management; however, patients with metastatic cancer are often excluded from studies, leading to a lack of evidence on whether increased prescribing (dosage and/or duration) results in improved outcomes for this population. This study aimed to investigate whether increased opioid prescribing is associated with an improvement in patient-reported pain among patients with metastatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective cohort of all adult patients diagnosed with stage IV cancers, who completed at least two patient-reported outcomes (PROs) within 30 days of each other, was identified from administrative data. Opioid prescriptions were categorized by dosage level and number of prescription days. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the association between opioid prescribing and clinically important improvement in pain score (≥ 1 point change on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System). RESULTS A total of 2169 patients were included, 770 (35.5%) of whom had active opioid prescription between PROs, with an average daily dosage of 86.1 mg of oral morphine equivalent. Active prescription was associated with improvement in pain (OR = 2.17, P < 0.001). However, among patients with active prescription, neither dosage nor number of prescription days was significantly associated with pain improvement. CONCLUSION Opioid prescription is important for treating cancer-related pain; however, increased dosage or duration may not be leading to greater improvements in pain. Patients with metastatic cancer who are receiving increased opioid prescribing may have difficult-to-treat pain and may benefit from multidisciplinary pain management strategies to supplement opioid prescription and improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Harsanyi
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
| | - Lin Yang
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Andrew Harper
- Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Tamer N Jarada
- Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - May Lynn Quan
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Winson Y Cheung
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sasha Lupichuk
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Colleen Cuthbert
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Yuan Xu
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, HRIC 2AA18, 3230, Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- The Centre for Health Informatics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Abstract
This paper is the forty-third consecutive installment of the annual anthological review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, summarizing articles published during 2020 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides and receptors as well as effects of opioid/opiate agonists and antagonists. The review is subdivided into the following specific topics: molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors (1), the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia in animals (2) and humans (3), opioid-sensitive and opioid-insensitive effects of nonopioid analgesics (4), opioid peptide and receptor involvement in tolerance and dependence (5), stress and social status (6), learning and memory (7), eating and drinking (8), drug abuse and alcohol (9), sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (10), mental illness and mood (11), seizures and neurologic disorders (12), electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (13), general activity and locomotion (14), gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (15), cardiovascular responses (16), respiration and thermoregulation (17), and immunological responses (18).
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY, 11367, United States.
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