Research from the Palliative Care Department in Poznań on treatment of neoplasm pain with Durogesic (transdermal fentanyl)

: Transdermal Fentanyl (TF, Durogesic) is a strong opioid analgesic which is used in the treatment of cancer pain. In this article we described basic properties and dosing guidelines for TF and our own experience with use of Durogesic in the treatment of cancer pain. In this open study TF was administered in 16 pts aged of 30-88 (mean 62 +/- 17) years with advanced cancer who suffered from strong cancer pain and who had previously been treated with morphine (11 pts), buprenorphine (1 pt), tramadol (2 pts) and non-opioid analgesics (2 pts). Analgesic efficacy and side-effects of TF were appraised. The time of the treatment was 7-235 (mean 77 +/- 58) days, the dose range 25-600 (mean 129 +/- 117) micrograms/h. The mean initial dose of Durogesic was 94 +/- 99 micrograms/h and the final dose of fentanyl patch was 156 +/- 149 micrograms/h. Good analgesic effect was achieved in 11 pts (69%), partial effect in 2 pts (12%), unsatisfactory analgesia in 3 pts (19%). The treatment was well tolerated and the most frequent adverse reactions were constipation in 10 pts (63%) and drowsiness in 4 pts (25%). During the therapy with TF we didn't encounter serious side-effects which would cause cessation of the treatment. Results of our study confirmed that TF was an effective analgesic most commonly used in pts with stable nociceptive pain especially when opioid analgesics could not be administered orally.