Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study

Background: Breakthrough pain in cancer patients is a common and distressing symptom that significantly impacts their quality of life. Traditional pain management strategies often fail to provide adequate relief. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) has emerged as a rapid-onset opioid analgesic...

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Main Authors: Naresh Dua, Randheer Kumar Annaram, Pradeep Jain, Priya Yadav, Shubh Dua, Jayashree Sood
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-08-01
Series:Current Medicine Research and Practice
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/cmrp.cmrp_72_24
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author Naresh Dua
Randheer Kumar Annaram
Pradeep Jain
Priya Yadav
Shubh Dua
Jayashree Sood
author_facet Naresh Dua
Randheer Kumar Annaram
Pradeep Jain
Priya Yadav
Shubh Dua
Jayashree Sood
author_sort Naresh Dua
collection DOAJ
description Background: Breakthrough pain in cancer patients is a common and distressing symptom that significantly impacts their quality of life. Traditional pain management strategies often fail to provide adequate relief. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) has emerged as a rapid-onset opioid analgesic, offering a potential solution for managing this challenging condition in home care settings. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of OTFC in managing breakthrough pain and its effects on the quality of life in cancer patients treated at home. Materials and Methods: A pilot study was conducted with 40 cancer patients experiencing more than one episode of breakthrough pain daily. These patients were administered OTFC 400 μg for pain management. Degree of pain (NRS) and modified ‘Quality of Well-being’ (QWB) scores were analysed using data filled in by patients. Data were collected and analysed using paired t-tests to compare pre- and post-treatment scores. Results: The administration of OTFC resulted in a significant reduction in pain, as indicated by the decrease in NRS scores from 9.9 ± 0.304 to 0.5 ± 0.906 within 30 minutes (P < 0.0001). Additionally, there was a marked improvement in QWB scores, which increased from 26.18 ± 2.8 to 36.3 ± 3.16 over the same period (P < 0.001). Mild side effects, such as nausea, headache, and somnolence, were reported, but no serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions: We conclude that OTFC 400 μg is an effective and well-tolerated option for managing breakthrough pain in cancer patients and in improving the quality of life in home care settings.
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spelling doaj-art-15bc6e6ea8fa441a999cf824c8496ad12025-08-20T02:08:54ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsCurrent Medicine Research and Practice2352-08172024-08-0114414514910.4103/cmrp.cmrp_72_24Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot studyNaresh DuaRandheer Kumar AnnaramPradeep JainPriya YadavShubh DuaJayashree SoodBackground: Breakthrough pain in cancer patients is a common and distressing symptom that significantly impacts their quality of life. Traditional pain management strategies often fail to provide adequate relief. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) has emerged as a rapid-onset opioid analgesic, offering a potential solution for managing this challenging condition in home care settings. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of OTFC in managing breakthrough pain and its effects on the quality of life in cancer patients treated at home. Materials and Methods: A pilot study was conducted with 40 cancer patients experiencing more than one episode of breakthrough pain daily. These patients were administered OTFC 400 μg for pain management. Degree of pain (NRS) and modified ‘Quality of Well-being’ (QWB) scores were analysed using data filled in by patients. Data were collected and analysed using paired t-tests to compare pre- and post-treatment scores. Results: The administration of OTFC resulted in a significant reduction in pain, as indicated by the decrease in NRS scores from 9.9 ± 0.304 to 0.5 ± 0.906 within 30 minutes (P < 0.0001). Additionally, there was a marked improvement in QWB scores, which increased from 26.18 ± 2.8 to 36.3 ± 3.16 over the same period (P < 0.001). Mild side effects, such as nausea, headache, and somnolence, were reported, but no serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions: We conclude that OTFC 400 μg is an effective and well-tolerated option for managing breakthrough pain in cancer patients and in improving the quality of life in home care settings.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/cmrp.cmrp_72_24breakthrough paincancer painfentanyl citrateopioidsoral transmucosal fentanyl citraterapid onset
spellingShingle Naresh Dua
Randheer Kumar Annaram
Pradeep Jain
Priya Yadav
Shubh Dua
Jayashree Sood
Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study
Current Medicine Research and Practice
breakthrough pain
cancer pain
fentanyl citrate
opioids
oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate
rapid onset
title Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study
title_full Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study
title_fullStr Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study
title_full_unstemmed Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study
title_short Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication: A pilot study
title_sort oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate as breakthrough pain relieving medication a pilot study
topic breakthrough pain
cancer pain
fentanyl citrate
opioids
oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate
rapid onset
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/cmrp.cmrp_72_24
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