The requirement of fentanyl patch in terminally ill patients with cancer.

202 Background: Cancer pain is the most important problem to overcome in terminally ill cancer patients (TICPs). Recently, the fentanyl patch (FP) has been widely used for the treatment of cancer pain. However, the FP requirement largely varies in patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of the FP requirement in TICPs and propose effective pain relief using a FP. Methods: In a retrospective chart review, we investigated cancer patients who were admitted in our hospital from April 2012 to July 2015 and used FP until their deaths. We examined the time course of FP use in TICPs until death. We used descriptive statistics and a mixed effect model. The primary endpoint of this study was the final dose of FP use (FDFP). Results: Eighty patients were included the analysis. The clinical characteristics were as follows: age (median, range): 64.5 (29-88) years; male/female ratio: 40/40; primary tumor sites: pancreas (n = 33), digestive tract (n = 12), liver and bile duct (n = 7), ovary a...