Dipyrone can be recommended for the treatment of cancer pain as an alternative to other non-opioids either alone or in combination with opioids. It can be preferred over non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs due to the presumably favorable side effect profile in long-term use, but comparative studies are not available for long-term use.

To evaluate the tolerability and clinical effects of subcutaneous (SC) levetiracetam for the treatment of epileptic seizures in a palliative care setting, we conducted a retrospective chart review of patients treated with subcutaneous levetiracetam in the Department of Palliative Medicine at the University Munich, between September 2006 and March 2013. The following parameters were extracted from the charts: reason for antiepileptic drug treatment, daily dose, concentration, infusion rate, co-administration of other drugs, and clinical effects. Furthermore, the charts were screened for signs of adverse drug reactions, e.g., irritation or pain at the infusion site. We identified 20 patients that were treated with levetiracetam SC in the inpatient (n = 7) and outpatient (n = 13) settings. Most patients (n = 17) tolerated the subcutaneous infusion well. Nineteen patients (95%) received levetiracetam in combination with other drugs. These were mainly metamizol (80%), midazolam (75%), and morphine (45%). The median dose of levetiracetam was 95.8 mg/h (SD 37 mg/h), median osmolarity of the infusion solution 2203 mOsmol/L (SD 717 mOsmol/L), and infusion rate 2 mL/h (SD 2.4 ml/h). In 16 patients (80%), seizures were controlled and status epilepticus were interrupted, respectively. We conclude that SC levetiracetam is an effective treatment and well tolerated in the palliative care setting.

Therapeutic Reviews aim to provide essential independent information for health professionals about drugs used in palliative and hospice care. Additional content is available on www.palliativedrugs.com. The series editors welcome feedback on the articles (hq@palliativedrugs.com).

Background:Drug use beyond the licence (off-label use, off-label drug use) is a common practice in palliative care and respective recommendations can often be identified in the literature. It is both risky and offers opportunities at the same time and, therefore, requires special attention in clinical practice.Aim:To determine the prevalence of off-label drug use in palliative care and to identify, evaluate and critically appraise studies describing the clinical practice, healthcare professionals’ awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards off-label-use and management strategies.Design:Systematic literature review following the guidance of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.Data sources:Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Current Contents Connect were searched in July 2018 as well as hand searches. The reference lists of pertinent studies were screened for further relevant publications, and citation tracking was performed.Results:Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to the variety in study designs and settings, no meta-analysis or meaningful statistical analysis was possible and a narrative synthesis of the data was performed. Frequency of off-label drug use ranged from 14.5% to 35%. Up to 97% of palliative care units did not have any policy or guidance on handling off-label drug use. About 20% of prescribers never obtain consent in the context of off-label use.Conclusion:Off-label use is common in palliative care with up to one-third of prescriptions affected. Challenges are often related to obtaining informed consent. Little is known about the decision-making process. More information and guidance for the prescribers are needed to enable safe handling of drugs outside their licence in palliative care.

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