Narcotic patch effective for severe cancer pain

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A patch delivering buprenorphine, a potent narcotic painkiller, appears to be effective and safe for patients with severe cancer-related pain, European investigators report.

Dr. Philippe Poulain of Institut Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, France, and colleagues compared transdermal buprenorphine with a "placebo" patch in 289 patients with cancer pain requiring strong opioids.

The participants were allowed to take "rescue" painkillers -- under-the-tongue buprenorphine tablets -- as needed.

As noted in their report in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, the researchers defined a good response as a reduction in pain intensity of 5 points on a 10-point scale, and a daily need for no more than two buprenorphine sublingual tablets.

A lot of the patients dropped out at various stages during the study. When all was said and done, a response was seen in 75 percent of patients given the buprenorphine patch and in 50 percent of patients given the placebo patch.

"This result was supported by a lower daily pain intensity, lower intake of buprenorphine sublingual tablets and fewer dropouts in the transdermal buprenorphine group," Poulain and colleagues write.

There were slightly more adverse events in the transdermal buprenorphine group, but the researchers conclude that the patch "is an efficacious and safe treatment for patients with severe cancer pain."

SOURCE: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, August 2008.