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Query: UMLS:C0042963 (vomiting)
 31,883 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The usefulness of oral morphine to alleviate pain has been tested in 70 patients with cancer. The efficacy was found to be 87% (61/70). The starting dose was 10 mg/d-12 mg/d (mean 36 mg/d), and the maximum dose was 10 mg/d-3,600 mg/d. Twenty four of these patients were able to stay at home or go to the hospital for dose treatment. In 27 patients, oral morphine dose were able to administrated until death. Although vomiting and constipation were frequent side effects, the administration of adjuvant drugs relieved these symptoms. It was found that these oral morphine doses did not shorten a patient's life span. Thus we have concluded that oral morphine proved a useful, safe, and convenient drug for the control of cancer pain.
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PMID:[Effect of morphine in cancer pain]. 292 10

In cancer, the use of morphine is dictated by intensity of pain and not by brevity of prognosis. It is a reliable and safe drug when given in simple aqueous solution and is the strong analgesic of choice at most hospices. The oral-parenteral potency rate is 1:3. The effective analgesic dose varies from as little as 2.4 mg to more than 100 mg by mouth every 4 h, though most patients do not need more than 30 mg. Most patients require antiemetic and laxative medication concomitantly; many benefit by the concurrent use of aspirin, corticosteroid or other "coanalgesic". By mouth, morphine and diamorphine have similar actions and unwanted effects, though the latter is about 1.5 times more potent. When injections are necessary, diamorphine hydrochloride is used at all hospices in Britain. It is considerably more soluble than morphine sulphate which means that the volume injected need never be large. The main indication for parenteral administration, apart from the last few hours of life, is intractable vomiting despite the prescription of antiemetic. Most patients can be maintained on oral medication. Neither morphine nor diamorphine should be regarded as the panacea for severe cancer pain. To achieve maximum benefit they must be used within the context of "broad spectrum" pain control and comprehensive patient care and family support.
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PMID:Morphine and diamorphine in the terminally ill patient. 695 26

The therapeutic value of buprenorphine was investigated in 31 patients suffering from moderate to severe cancer pain by intramuscular administration at the single doses of 0.2 mg and 0.3 mg in comparison with pentazocine 30 mg. Analgesic effect of buprenorphine 0.3 mg was significantly superior to buprenorphine 0.2 mg and pentazocine 30 mg. The duration of analgesia with buprenorphine was 9 hours at 0.2 mg and 11 hours at 0.3 mg, which were markedly longer than pentazocine's 6 hours. Side effects most commonly observed in the three groups were nausea, vertigo, oral dryness, urinary retention, vomiting, sweating, and headache. The frequency of side effects was 54.8% for buprenorphine 0.2 mg, 50.0% for buprenorphine 0.3 mg and 58.3% for pentazocine 30 mg respectively, indicating no significant difference between the three groups. Blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate did not change appreciably, thereby suggesting a little effect of buprenorphine on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Buprenorphine was found a useful or extremely useful in 58% at 0.2 mg and 87.5% at 0.3 mg. As the result it was concluded that buprenorphine could be valuable as an analgesic for cancer pain.
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PMID:[Effect of a long-acting analgesic, buprenorphine on cancer pain--a single-blind crossover comparison with pentazocine]. 718 1

In this study we compared 293 patients with cancer pain undergoing treatment in the years 1987 until 1993. 165 patients (55.7%) suffering from cancer localized at the organs of gastrointestinal tract. Comparing the therapeutic results of WHO pattern with patients after implantation of port systems with epidural or intrathecal catheters and portable external morphine pumps we found at port-patients a significant lower number of side effects like nausea, vomiting, obstipation and weariness. Furthermore we noted at port-patients lower values of pain score (VAS). We think the high incidence of uncomfortable side effects of drugs at patients with gastrointestinal cancer may be caused by the type of special illness. Therefore we discuss the possibility of an earlier use of the method of port implantation at special indications.
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PMID:[Pain therapy of tumor patients with special reference to tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. WHO staged schedule versus para-spinal analgesia techniques]. 752 43

In a prospective study, the prevalence of 15 physical symptoms and symptom groups was evaluated in 1635 cancer patients referred to a pain clinic. In addition to pain, patients suffered an average of 3.3 symptoms: insomnia (59%), anorexia (48%), constipation (33%), sweating (28%), nausea (27%), dyspnea (24%), dysphagia (20%), neuropsychiatric symptoms (20%), vomiting (20%), urinary symptoms (14%), dyspepsia (11%), paresis (10%), diarrhea (6%), pruritus (6%), and dermatological symptoms (3%). While symptom prevalence was influenced by tumor site, pain intensity, and opioid treatment, only a minor relationship was seen between symptoms and gender, age, or tumor stage. The data emphasize that it is not sufficient to simply address pain during the treatment of patients with cancer pain; a more global approach to symptom management is necessary.
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PMID:Prevalence and pattern of symptoms in patients with cancer pain: a prospective evaluation of 1635 cancer patients referred to a pain clinic. 796 90

Development of effective antiemesis has depended upon identification of critical neurotransmitter receptors within the emetic reflex arc. Investigations of cholinergic, histaminergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic receptors led to our present generation of antiemetics. Opiate and adrenergic receptors are the likely targets of the next generation of antiemetics. The recently identified critical neurotransmitter receptors (opiate, adrenergic, and serotonergic) also provide a link to cancer pain, anticipatory vomiting, and cancer anorexia respectively. Future collaborations are likely to include investigators from various areas of supportive care working together on these common problems.
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PMID:Future of the management of emesis. 800 Jul 27

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid with short-acting analgesic activity after intravenous or subcutaneous administration. The low molecular weight, high potency and lipid solubility of fentanyl make it suitable for delivery via the transdermal therapeutic system (TTS). These systems are designed to release the drug into the skin at a constant rate ranging from 25 to 100 micrograms/h, multiple systems can be applied to achieve higher delivery rates. Initially, much of the clinical experience with fentanyl TTS was obtained in patients with acute postoperative pain. However, because of the increased risk of respiratory complications, fentanyl TTS is contraindicated in this setting. Fentanyl TTS is recommended for use in chronic cancer pain. Moreover, in 11 countries worldwide including the US, its use is not restricted to chronic cancer pain; the drug is also available for treatment of general chronic pain, including that of nonmalignant origin. At the start of fentanyl TTS treatment, depot accumulation of the drug within skin tissue results in a significant delay (17 to 48 hours) before maximum plasma concentration is achieved. Approximately half of the cancer patients converted to transdermal fentanyl from other opioid agents required increased dosages after initial application of the patch. However, concomitant use of short-acting morphine maintained pain relief during the titration period, and the use of such supplementary medication decreased with the duration of fentanyl TTS treatment. In patients with chronic cancer pain, changes in visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores ranged from a 10% increase (worse pain) to > 50% decrease (less pain) during transdermal fentanyl therapy compared with previous opioid treatment. In addition, patient preference for fentanyl TTS was indicated by the number of patient requests (up to 95%) for continued use of the drug at the end of the study. Although fentanyl TTS is contraindicated in patients postoperatively, the efficacy of fentanyl via the transdermal route was investigated in this patient group. Supplementary patient controlled analgesia was significantly reduced in patients who received fentanyl TTS 75 micrograms/h compared with placebo, although this was not apparent until > or = 12 hours after application. Data evaluating pain relief, which was assessed by VAS pain scores, were inconclusive. Preliminary data, although from relatively small numbers of patients, indicate that transdermal fentanyl may be useful in the management of chronic non-malignant pain. Indeed, some patients whose pain was previously uncontrolled became completely pain free. The most frequently occurring adverse events during fentanyl TTS therapy (as with other opioid agents) included vomiting, nausea and constipation, although vomiting and nausea were not clearly associated with the drug. The most serious adverse event was hypoventilation, which occurred more frequently in postoperative (4%) than in cancer patients (2%). In surgical patients, fentanyl-associated respiratory events (reduced respiratory rate and apnoea) generally occurred within 24 hours of patch application; however, there were isolated reports of late onset (> or = 36 hours postsurgery) fentanyl-associated respiratory depression. In cancer patients, the incidence of constipation was reduced by up to two-thirds after switching from oral morphine to transdermal fentanyl. Transient skin irritation associated with the plastic patch or the adhesive, rather than the drug, was reported in a maximum 3% of patients. In summary, transdermal fentanyl is a useful alternative to other opioid agents, which are also recommended on the third step of the WHO analgesic ladder, in the management of chronic malignant pain. Preliminary data indicate that it may be useful in the management of chronic nonmalignant pain. The advantages offered by fentanyl TTS over traditional methods of chronic pain control include its ease of administration, less constipation and the 3-
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PMID:Transdermal fentanyl. A review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in pain control. 901 Jun 52

Pain is the main reason prompting patients to consult their physicians. In acute conditions, pain has a very particular significance as a warning sign, enabling the physician to attempt a diagnosis. Nevertheless, its detrimental effect upon the individual (even in the case of acute pain) and its cost to society are now widely acknowledged. There can be no doubt about the physical component of pain, but the psychological and social aspects should not be ignored, particularly in the case of chronic pain. There is no single therapeutic approach to pain and, more often than not, successful treatment comprises a combination of several. Pharmacological treatments are undeniably the most common approach. In clinical practice, recent advances have been based upon an improved understanding of 'old' substances such as morphine and, at the same time, research continues in the hope of finding the 'ideal' analgesic-effective in most situations but without adverse effects: this appears to be a somewhat utopian arm at present, considering the number of different causes of pain. An improved understanding of the physiological mechanisms of pain has led, within the field of clinical practice, to several methods of differentiating pain. These depend on whether or not pain responds to morphine, or on the type of pain: pain due to an excess of nociception, pain resulting from deafferentation (caused by damage to nerve pathways) in the central or peripheral nervous system and psychogenic (idiopathic) pain. Likewise, there are several different ways of classifying analgesic treatments: according to the intensity of pain, as with use of the WHO ladder (which is based on the notion of steps) for the treatment of cancer pain; according to the presumed physiopathological mechanism and, in particular, the response to morphine, and according to the presumed central or peripheral mechanism of the drugs. In reality, peripherally acting drugs can also have a central mechanism of action, just as drugs known to have a central mechanism of action can also have peripheral activity. As a result, several therapeutic classes have been identified. Firstly NSAIDs, which act by inhibiting the enzymes that synthesise prostaglandins, cyclooxygenases (COX-1, COX-2), but which also act upon lipo-oxygenases: Their efficacy is interesting, although somewhat limited by both their ceiling effect and the frequent adverse gastrointestinal reactions they produce. Specific inhibitors of COX-2 could well reduce the risk of adverse effects. Opioids constitute the first-line treatment for pain, particularly severe pain. There are several classifications for these drugs. Firstly, weak opioids (such as codeine) and strong opioids (such as morphine) are differentiated. Secondly, a distinction is made between pure agonists (such as morphine), partial agonists (such as buprenorphine), agonist-antagonists (such as nalbuphine) and antagonists (such as naloxone). Finally, agents are distinguished on the basis of their chemical structure (synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural derivatives). These molecules act upon different receptors (mu, delta, kappa, sigma) and, although peripheral mechanisms have been described, their activity occurs mainly at spinal and supraspinal levels. They provide a potent analgesic effect but are also responsible for various adverse effects-nausea, vomiting, sedation, constipation and respiratory depression-which seriously limit their use. As long as the indication is appropriate, these drugs should not be withheld because of fear of dependence or abuse. It has been observed that other adjuvant therapeutic approaches, generally used to treat conditions other than pain, provide pain relief in certain situations. These include corticosteroids, which are-widely used in rheumatology and oncology, and antidepressants, which are frequently used to treat chronic pain, especially that with a neuropathic component. Anti-epileptics are also used, particularly for excrutiating
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PMID:[Review of current pharmacologic treatment of pain]. 919 Mar 20

Basic guidelines for cancer pain treatment can be found in many different handbooks published in the last years. Particularly those of the World Health Organisation published in 1986 and revised in 1996, furnish useful indication for cancer pain treatment. The authors therefore focused on resuming the most recent development in this field. In the research regarding alternative routes of administration of opioids in alternative to the oral route, the rectal administration of morphine and methadone and the transdermal route for fentanyl have proved to be efficacious. The subcutaneous route (for morphine) as well as the intravenous, peridural and subaracnoid routes, being known for some time are not taken in consideration in this paper. Various studies suggest that alternative routes are necessary in 53-70% of patients in their last days or months of live. The most frequent causes for the need to stop oral administration are dysphagia, nausea, and uncontrollable vomiting, bowel obstruction, malabsorption, cognitive failure, coma, and pain syndromes requiring anaesthetics which need be administered via the spinal route. Among the drugs, tramadol seems to be effective in the control of moderate pain. Tramadol is a centrally acting analgesic drug; it has an agonist effect on mu 1 receptors of opioids and acts also by inhibiting the re-uptake of noradrenaline and serotonine which activates descending monoaminergic inhibitory pathways. Recent clinical studies revealed that pamidronate has an analgesic effect in pain due to bone metastasis. Pamidronate is part of the biphosphonates, which are active on bone metabolism and are usually being used for the treatment of hypercalcaemia in cancer. The authors also describe briefly the indication of ketamin in association with morphine for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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PMID:[Treatment of pain in oncology]. 923 25

Controlled-release (CR) formulations of oxycodone and morphine were compared in 45 patients with chronic cancer pain. The study was started with an open-label, randomised titration phase to achieve stable pain control for at least 48 h, followed by a double-blind, randomised, crossover phase in two periods, 3-6 days each. To blind the study using available tablet strengths, the dose ratio of oxycodone to morphine was set at 2:3. A daily telephone contact was maintained between the patient and the investigator. The patients were asked to assess pain intensity four times a day and acceptability of therapy twice daily, and to record possible adverse effects. Pharmacodynamic evaluations were performed at the end of each double-blind period. The patients were allowed to use escape analgesic (respective opioid as oral solution) as needed. Twenty-seven patients were evaluable for both safety and efficacy. Pain was well-controlled during both stable phases. When the period effect was taken into account the two opioids provided comparable analgesia. If the results of the two periods were combined, the patients consumed significantly more escape doses and the mean pain intensities were significantly greater with CR oxycodone. The total opioid consumption ratio of oxycodone to morphine was 2:3 when oxycodone was administered first, and 3:4 when oxycodone was administered after morphine. The total incidence of adverse experiences reported by the patients was similar, but significantly more vomiting occurred with morphine, whereas constipation was more common with oxycodone.
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PMID:Controlled-release oxycodone and morphine in cancer related pain. 941 55


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