Balancing opioid analgesia with the risk of nonmedical opioid use in patients with cancer

Balancing opioid analgesia with the risk of nonmedical opioid use in patients with cancerBalancing opioid analgesia with the risk of nonmedical opioid use in patients with cancer, Published online: 04 December 2018; doi:10.1038/s41571-018-0143-7Patients with cancer might be at a higher risk of nonmedical opioid use than was previously thought; however, opioid analgesics remain the gold standard to treat cancer-related pain. The authors of this Review examine the role of opioids in cancer-related pain, the risk of substance use disorder and methods to achieve the right balance between both to ensure safe opioid use.
Source: Nature Clinical Practice Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research