Ten cases of palliation of cancer pain with morphine.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

With the discovery of novel opioids in recent years, it has become feasible to alleviate various forms of cancer pain. If the characteristics of individual opioids are exploited depending on pain-related factors in cancer patients may yield satisfactory pain relief with a low incidence of adverse reactions.

METHODS:

This study involved 10 patients (5 male and 5 female) with cancerous abdominal pain, for whom the original opioid regimen was switched to morphine alone or continued in combination with morphine. The primary disease was gastric cancer in 5 patients, and uterine cervix, ovary cancer, leukemia, malignant pleuroperitoneal mesothelioma, and colon cancer in 1 patient each. Pain assessment was carried out using the Numerical Rating Scale.

RESULTS:

In all the 10 cases, the opioid administered first was fentanyl; the pain relief was inadequate. Satisfactory pain relief was achieved in all patients by switchover to morphine alone or by concomitant administration of morphine with fentanyl.

CONCLUSION:

Enhanced gastrointestinal motility accounts, at least in part, for cancerous abdominal pain. Further, this kind of pain can be relieved by suppression of gastrointestinal motility with morphine.

• Authors: Kazuho Yoshino, Noboru Nishiumi, Soichiro Yamamoto, Mikio Mikami, Masayuki Iwasaki, Yutaka Tokuda
• Journal: The Tokai journal of experimental and clinical medicine (Tokai J Exp Clin Med) Vol. 35 Issue 3 Pg. 99-102 (Sep 20 2010) ISSN: 2185-2243 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 21319035 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Analgesics, Opioid
• Morphine
• Fentanyl

Topics

• Abdominal Pain (drug therapy, etiology, physiopathology)
• Adult
• Aged
• Analgesics, Opioid (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Child
• Female
• Fentanyl (administration & dosage)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Morphine (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Neoplasms (complications, physiopathology)
• Pain Measurement
• Palliative Care