Photo courtesy of the CDC
Prescription drugs
A study of residents in Ontario, Canada, showed that opioid prescription use was more common in cancer survivors than in individuals without a history of cancer.
This was true even among survivors who were 10 or more years past their cancer diagnosis.
Rinku Sutradhar, PhD, of the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, and her colleagues reported these findings in Cancer.
The researchers said little is known about prescribing opioids to relieve pain in individuals who have survived cancer.
To investigate, the team looked at opioid prescribing among residents of Ontario, Canada, with and without a history of cancer.
The study included 8601 adults who were at least 5 years past a cancer diagnosis. These subjects were were matched with 8601 individuals without a prior cancer diagnosis. The subjects were matched based on sex and calendar year of birth.
The researchers looked for opioid prescriptions filled at a pharmacy during the observation period. Follow-up was stopped at any indication of cancer recurrence, second malignancy, or new cancer diagnosis.
The rate of opioid prescribing was 1.22 times higher among cancer survivors than corresponding matched controls.
Over a 36-month period, the average number of opioid prescriptions filled by cancer survivors was 7.7, compared with 6.3 for controls.
This increased rate of opioid prescribing was also seen among survivors who were 10 or more years past their cancer diagnosis.
Individuals with lower income and those who were younger, from rural neighborhoods, and with more comorbidities had significantly higher prescribing rates. Sex was not associated with prescribing rates.
“Our research findings raise concerns about the diagnosis and management of chronic pain problems among survivors stemming from their cancer diagnosis or treatment,” Dr Sutradhar said. “Physicians providing primary care to cancer survivors should consider close examination of reasons for continued opioid use to differentiate chronic pain from dependency.”
