A new report reveals that 19% of cancer patients receiving opioids are misusing them, referred to a nonmedical opioid use (NMOU) behaviour.
Opioid addiction remains a persistent and serious problem in the United States, and is growing elsewhere in the world, with some 16 million individuals worldwide suffering from opioid misuse disorder.
The study, led by Sriram Yennurajalingam, MD, MS, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, included 1554 patients at a supportive care clinic for a comprehensive cancer centre. Of those engaging in NMOU behaviour, the most common (29%) was an early request for a refill, followed by self-directed dose escalation (15%), co-using illicit or non-prescribed drugs (13%), and impaired daily function due to opioids (11%).
Independent risk factors that increased the risk of NMOU behaviour included being single or divorced, as well as pain levels, opioid risk screening score, and morphine equivalent daily dose.
In their recommendations, Yennurajalingam and co-authors wrote: “Based on these findings, a universal screening, setting limits on opioid use by limiting supply, more intense follow-up with an interdisciplinary team to provide optimal use of medications for pain and symptom management, and the provision of counseling and support to patients and their family members may help prevent the development of these NMOU behaviors.”
Source: MedPage Today
Journal information: Yennurajalingam S, et al. Frequency of and factors associated with nonmedical opioid use behavior among patients with cancer receiving opioids for cancer pain, JAMA Oncol 2020; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.6789.
