title: The use of rotation to fentanyl in cancer-related pain.
abstract: Pain is commonly diagnosed with respect to cancer and heart diseases, being a major symptom in most neoplastic diseases. Uncontrolled pain leads to a decrease in the quality of life and an increase in the morbidity of the patient. Opioids represent the best analgetic supportive therapy and are frequently used in patients suffering from cancer and experiencing a high level of pain. Opioid treatment starts with a gradual titration of the dose until the minimum effective dose and the maximum tolerated dose are determined. Opioid rotation refers to the switch from one opioid to another in order to get a better response to analgetic therapy and reduce side effects. Fentanyl therapy is recommended to be continued during chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or in the case of surgical intervention. Rotation to fentanyl patches is an efficient and elegant solution for cancer patients, with reduced side effects. Opioid rotation, especially to fentanyl, was shown to increase the quality of life in patients with malignant disease. Finally, rotation to fentanyl is also advantageous from an economic point of view.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute.
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dima
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute.
authors.forename: Ciprian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomuleasa
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute.
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Frinc
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iuliu Hatieganu.
authors.forename: Sergiu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pasca
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iuliu Hatieganu.
authors.forename: Lorand
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Magdo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iuliu Hatieganu; Department of Functional Genomics, The Oncology Institute Ion Chiricuta; Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iuliu Hatieganu.
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Berindan-Neagoe
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute.
authors.forename: Mihai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muresan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute.
authors.forename: Cosmin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lisencu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute; Department of Oncology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iuliu Hatieganu.
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Irimie
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute; Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Mihnea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zdrenghea
keywords: cancer-related pain; fentanyl; opioid rotation