Current medical research and opinion
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Multicenter Study
Sublingual fentanyl orally disintegrating tablet in daily practice: efficacy, safety and tolerability in patients with breakthrough cancer pain.
Breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) affects more than half of patients with cancer pain and has severe detrimental impacts on quality of life (QoL). This study evaluated the efficacy, QoL impact and safety of sublingual fentanyl orally disintegrating tablet (sublingual fentanyl ODT), for the treatment of BTcP in a clinical setting. ⋯ Under the conditions of a phase IV study, sublingual fentanyl ODT was effective and well-tolerated for the treatment of BTcP in opioid-tolerant cancer patients. Study treatment was associated with significant improvements in BTcP intensity and QoL scores, and patients reported rapid onset of action in the majority of episodes.