Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate in the outpatient management of severe cancer pain crises: a retrospective case series.
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective chart review evaluated the efficacy of oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) in an outpatient cancer pain center for patients experiencing severe exacerbations of pain that exceed usual breakthrough pain levels.


METHODS
Records were reviewed for all patients who received OTFC at M.D. Anderson's outpatient pain clinic over a three-month time period. OTFC was used in thirty-nine patients experiencing a recent onset of severe pain (> or =7 on a 0-10 scale). All patients had cancer, cancer-related pain syndromes, and were opioid tolerant with an oral morphine equivalent daily dosage (MEDD) of (> or =40 mg/day.


RESULTS
Prior to OTFC treatment, all patients reported a mean pain intensity of 9.0 (SD = 1.2). After OTFC treatment, patients reported a mean intensity of 3.0 (SD = 1.4), a significant reduction in pain intensity (P < 0.001). In most cases, OTFC averted the need for an emergency center visit, parenteral opioids, and hospital admission, which suggests that OTFC may be an effective alternative over intravenous opioids to rapidly titrate analgesia in selected opioid-tolerant cancer patients experiencing severe pain.
Burton
Allen W
AW
Section of Cancer Pain Management, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. awburton@mdanderson.org
Driver
Larry C
LC
Mendoza
Tito R
TR
Syed
Ghyasuddin
G
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010045:Outpatients; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D009294:Narcotics; D005283:Fentanyl