Clinical Pathway for Oral Controlled-Released Oxycodon in Digestive Cancer Patients

Takeshi Yamada, Kiyonori Furukawa, Kimiyoshi Yokoi, Yasuhiro Mamada, Tomoko Seya, Kouji Makino, Yoshikazu Kanazawa, Takashi Shirakawa, Noritake Tanaka and Takashi Tajiri*

Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School, Chibahokuso Hospital
Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School*

While opioids play an important role in cancer pain treatment, adverse drug actions nary and may be difficult to recognize for healthcare professionals not specializing in palliative care. To relieve cancer pain, we developed a clinical pathway (CP) involving oral controlled-released oxycodon to observe World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The primary CP endpoint was good sleep and the secondary endpoint absence of pain while resting position. Using the CP improved the observance of the WHO guideline of setting up a rescue dose, combined with NSAIDs, antiemetic, and laxative treatment. Good sleep and absence of pain while resting were archived in 75% of patients within five days by using CP. A specialist in digestive surgery is used to CP using and by using CP, we could accomplish treatment of cancer pain, that we are not used to very much, without a stress.

Key words
clinical pathway, oxycodon, cancer pain

Reprint requests
Takeshi Yamada Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School, Chibahokuso Hospital
1715 Kamagari, Inba-mura, Inba-gun, 270-1694 JAPAN

Accepted
January 28, 2009

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