Opioid use disorder in cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose of reviewThe misuse of opioids has increased significantly in recent decades. Historically, cancer patients have not been considered at risk of opioid misuse. However, cancer pain is common, and opioids are often prescribed. Guidelines addressing opioid misuse often exclude cancer patients. Given that misuse is associated with significant harm and a reduction in quality of life, it is important to understand the risk of opioid misuse in cancer patients and how we can recognise and treat it. Recent findingsEarly cancer diagnoses and treatments have improved cancer survival rates, leading to a larger population of cancer patients and survivors. Opioid use disorder (OUD) may precede a cancer diagnosis or may develop during or after treatment. The effect of OUD extends from an individual patient to a societal level. This review examines the increasing incidence of OUD in cancer patients, ways to identify patients with OUD such as behaviour change and screening scales, prevention of OUD such as limited and targeted opioid prescriptions, and evidence-based treatment suggestions for OUD. SummaryOUD in cancer patients has only relatively recently been recognised as a growing problem. Early identification, involvement of the multidisciplinary team, and treatment can reduce the negative impact of OUD.

Opioid‐limiting legislation and prescribing habits of otolaryngologists among Medicare beneficiaries

“…Finally, the results of our study do not directly show that opioid‐limiting legislation was the reason for the decrease in opioid prescription duration in some states after 2016–2017, since causation cannot be determined from a national database study. Other factors may have contributed to the decline in opioids prescribed by otolaryngologists during this time period, including increased provider awareness, and scientific evidence of the hazards of opioid misuse as well the efficacy of alternative pain management strategies 23–26 …”

“…*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01. national database study. Other factors may have contributed to the decline in opioids prescribed by otolaryngologists during this time period, including increased provider awareness, and scientific evidence of the hazards of opioid misuse as well the efficacy of alternative pain management strategies [23][24][25][26].…”

Opioids and Cancer: Current Understanding and Clinical Considerations

“…Expectedly, a large study conducted on the veteran population found that cancer patients were almost twice as likely to have an opioid prescription compared with noncancer patients [ 82 ]. These numbers raise a concern regarding the risk of developing opioid use disorders such as dependency or misuse among cancer patients and survivors [ 83 , 84 ].…”