• D J Magee, S Jhanji, G Poulogiannis, P Farquhar-Smith, and Brown M R D MRD Pain Medicine Department, The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK; Targeted Approaches to Cancer Pain Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surr.
• Pain Medicine Department, The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK; Signalling and Cancer Metabolism, Division of Cancer Biology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK. Electronic address: davidmagee@nhs.net.
• Br J Anaesth. 2019 Aug 1; 123 (2): e412-e423.

BackgroundEmerging data highlights the potential role of cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors in the primary prevention of malignancy, reducing metastatic spread and improving overall mortality. Despite nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) forming a key component of the WHO analgesic ladder, their use in cancer pain management remains relatively low. This review re-appraises the current evidence regarding the efficacy of COX inhibitors as analgesics in cancer pain, providing a succinct resource to aid clinicians' decision making when determining treatment strategies.MethodsMedline® and Embase® databases were searched for publications up to November 2018. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and double-blind controlled studies considering the use of NSAIDs for management of cancer-related pain in adults were included. Animal studies, case reports, and retrospective observational data were excluded.ResultsThirty studies investigating the use of NSAIDs in cancer pain management were identified. There is a lack of high-quality evidence regarding the analgesic efficacy of NSAIDs in cancer pain, with short study durations and heterogeneity in outcome measures limiting the ability to draw meaningful conclusions.ConclusionsDespite the renewed interest in these cost-effective, well-established medications in cancer treatment outcomes, there is a paucity of data from the past 15 yr regarding their efficacy in cancer pain management. However, when analgesic strategies in the cancer population are being formulated, it is important that the potential benefits of this class of drug are considered. Further work investigating the role of NSAIDs in cancer pain management is undoubtedly warranted.Copyright © 2019 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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