Julia Riley1, Ruth Branford2, Joanne Droney3, Sophy Gretton3, Hiroe Sato4, Alison Kennett5, Christina Oyebode5, Michael Thick5, Athol Wells4, John Williams5, Ken Welsh4, Joy Ross3. 1. Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: julia.riley@rmh.nhs.uk. 2. Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; St. Joseph's Hospice, London, United Kingdom. 3. Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. 4. National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. 5. Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Abstract
CONTEXT: There is wide interindividual variation in response to morphine for cancer-related pain; 30% of patients do not have a good therapeutic outcome. Alternative opioids such as oxycodone are increasingly being used, and opioid switching has become common clinical practice. OBJECTIVES: To compare clinical response to oral morphine vs. oral oxycodone when used as first-line or second-line (after switching) treatment in patients with cancer-related pain. METHODS: In this prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled trial (ISRCTN65155201) with a selected crossover phase, patients with cancer-related pain were randomized to receive either oral morphine or oxycodone as first-line treatment. Dose was individually titrated until the patient reported adequate pain control. Patients who did not respond to the first-line opioid (either because of inadequate analgesia or unacceptable adverse effects) were switched to the alternative opioid. RESULTS:Two hundred patients were recruited. On intention-to-treat analysis (n = 198, morphine 98, oxycodone 100), there was no significant difference between the numbers of patients responding to morphine (61/98 = 62%) or oxycodone (67/100 = 67%) when used as a first-line opioid. Similarly, there was no significant difference in subsequent response when patients were switched to either morphine (8/12 = 67%) or oxycodone (11/21 = 52%). Per-protocol analysis demonstrated a 95% response rate when both opioids were available. There was no difference in adverse reaction scores between morphine and oxycodone either in first-line responders or nonresponders. CONCLUSION: In this population, there was no difference between analgesic response or adverse reactions to oral morphine and oxycodone when used as a first- or second-line opioid. These data provide evidence to support opioid switching to improve outcomes.
RCT Entities:
CONTEXT: There is wide interindividual variation in response to morphine for cancer-related pain; 30% of patients do not have a good therapeutic outcome. Alternative opioids such as oxycodone are increasingly being used, and opioid switching has become common clinical practice. OBJECTIVES: To compare clinical response to oral morphine vs. oral oxycodone when used as first-line or second-line (after switching) treatment in patients with cancer-related pain. METHODS: In this prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled trial (ISRCTN65155201) with a selected crossover phase, patients with cancer-related pain were randomized to receive either oral morphine or oxycodone as first-line treatment. Dose was individually titrated until the patient reported adequate pain control. Patients who did not respond to the first-line opioid (either because of inadequate analgesia or unacceptable adverse effects) were switched to the alternative opioid. RESULTS: Two hundred patients were recruited. On intention-to-treat analysis (n = 198, morphine 98, oxycodone 100), there was no significant difference between the numbers of patients responding to morphine (61/98 = 62%) or oxycodone (67/100 = 67%) when used as a first-line opioid. Similarly, there was no significant difference in subsequent response when patients were switched to either morphine (8/12 = 67%) or oxycodone (11/21 = 52%). Per-protocol analysis demonstrated a 95% response rate when both opioids were available. There was no difference in adverse reaction scores between morphine and oxycodone either in first-line responders or nonresponders. CONCLUSION: In this population, there was no difference between analgesic response or adverse reactions to oral morphine and oxycodone when used as a first- or second-line opioid. These data provide evidence to support opioid switching to improve outcomes.
Authors: Mia Schmidt-Hansen; Michael I Bennett; Stephanie Arnold; Nathan Bromham; Jennifer S Hilgart; Andrew J Page; Yuan Chi Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2022-06-09
Authors: Salimah H Meghani; William E Rosa; Jesse Chittams; April Hazard Vallerand; Ting Bao; Jun J Mao Journal: Pain Manag Nurs Date: 2019-09-06 Impact factor: 1.929
Authors: Mia Schmidt-Hansen; Michael I Bennett; Stephanie Arnold; Nathan Bromham; Jennifer S Hilgart Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2017-08-22