Exploring Analgesic Use Patterns Among Cancer Survivors With Chronic Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.
Robert Knoerl, Michael B Sohn, Melyssa Foust and 6 others
PMID 39162787WHAT IT FOUND
Among 142 cancer survivors with chronic chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, 46% were using prescription pain medicines at baseline.
Gabapentin was the most common current drug, while duloxetine, the recommended first-line option, was used by 9.9%.
Key findings
01At baseline, 31% of the 142 participants had previously used prescription analgesics for CIPN, and 46% were currently using them.
02Gabapentin was the most common current prescription analgesic for CIPN (34%), followed by opioids (11%) and duloxetine (9.9%).
03Among participants with moderate or greater CIPN pain (63%), only about 16% had previously or currently used duloxetine.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from six research sites, so it may not represent all patients with CIPN. Analgesic use was self-reported, and the study did not capture medicines that participants may have been offered but declined because of side effects or other reasons. Participants had to report at least 4/10 severity for two lower-extremity symptoms to enroll in the parent trial, so the study may not reflect milder CIPN. This was a baseline descriptive analysis, not a test of whether any analgesic improved CIPN pain or function.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists NIH extramural research support; it does not include an author conflict-of-interest statement.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these use patterns as evidence that gabapentin works better than duloxetine. The study only reported what survivors had taken and their pain ratings at baseline. It did not test whether any analgesic improved CIPN.