Cancer Pain: Comparison of Oral Morphine and Transdermal Fentanyl Treatment

Samir Husic, Dzenita Ljuca

Abstract


Aim: The aim of the research is to compare the efficiency of equianalgesic dosages of transdermal fentanyl and oral morphine in severe cancer pain treatment in patients with or without bone metastasis. Patients and methods. 80 patients who were treated with transdermal fentanyl due to severe cancer pain (from 7 to 10 on the NRS scale) and oral morphine were examined by a prospective research conducted at the Palliative care centre (hospice) of University Clinical Centre Tuzla. In the statistical analysis T-test, Mann-Whitney test, Wilcoxon test and χ2 tests were used. The difference between samples was considered important if p < 0.05. Results. The Karnofsky score for all 80 patients upon admission was 47.13 ± 11.05 and 51.25 ± 11.73 upon dismissal (p = 0.0005). In patients with bone metastasis compared to those without bone metastasis, neurophatic pain is dominant (p = 0,02). Mean pain intensity in all patients on the first day of treatment was 9.00 (from 7.00 to 10.00) which is statistically significantly more (p < 0.0001) compared to pain intensity on the tenth day of treatment. Higher pain intensity was noted in patients with bone metastasis in all 10 days or research. Conclusion. During the first three days of study pain intensity was lower in patients from the control group, and on the fourth day lower pain intensity was noted in patients who were treated with transdermal fentanyl.

Keywords


cancer pain, morphine, transdermal fentanyl.

Full Text: PDF

DOI: 10.5457/ams.v40i1.176