Controlled Release of Oxycodone as an Opioid Titration for Cancer Pain Relief: A Retrospective Study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND In 2014, a Chinese expert consensus was proposed regarding a titration protocol with controlled-release (CR) oxycodone as a background dose for relieving the moderate to severe cancer pain. This work aimed to summarize its efficacy and safety in our hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS The Good Pain Management (GPM) protocol comprises a CR morphine or oxycodone given every 12-hours as a background dose and an immediate-release (IR) opioid as a rescue dose. Cancer patients with moderate to severe cancer pain were treated with this protocol, and the successful titration (numerical rating scale [NRS] ≤3 within 3 days) rate was analyzed. SPSS was used for statistical analysis. Differences of variables between opioid intolerant patients and opioid tolerant patients were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The chi square test was used for comparison of frequencies in different groups. A P-value.