Clinical factors associated with opioid dosage in patients with cancer

Abstract

Little is known about the factors that influence opioid dose in the treatment of cancer pain. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify predictors for opioid dosage in patients with cancer. Data were obtained from the electronic medical records of patients with cancer at Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2014. Patients were included if they were cared for by a palliative care team and prescribed opioids from the beginning of care until their death. A total of 109 patients were classified into three groups. Patients in group A (n＝51; 46.8％) were prescribed ＜120 mg of oral morphine equivalent (OME), those in group B (n＝33; 30.3％) were prescribed 120–300 mg of OME, while those in group C (n＝25; 22.9％) were prescribed ≧300 mg of OME. Young age, long-term opioid use, rapidly increased opioid dose, and malignant invasion of the nerve independently predicted high opioid dose. Further studies are needed to improve understanding of the factors associated with high-dose opioid use in cancer pain.