Tapentadol is effective in the management of moderate-to-severe cancer-related pain in opioid-naïve and opioid-tolerant patients: a retrospective study

PURPOSE: Tapentadol is a dual-acting mu-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor with non-inferior analgesic efficacy to oxycodone and better gastrointestinal tolerability than full mu-opioid receptor agonists. Tapentadol is approved for cancer pain in Japan; however, real-world evidence on tapentadol’s effectiveness and safety for cancer-related pain in Japan is limited. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of tapentadol (by patient type—opioid-naïve and opioid-tolerant) in 84 patients with moderate-to-severe cancer pain at Ichikawa General Hospital between September 2014 and August 2016. RESULTS: Almost 93% of patients achieved clinically relevant pain relief within 4 days (median). Over 90% of patients with neuropathic pain or mixed pain and all patients with nociceptive pain were responders. Pain intensity significantly decreased from baseline through to the end of maintenance period in opioid-naïve and opioid-tolerant patients. No patients discontinued tapentadol due to serious adverse events. No opioid-naïve patients experienced nausea or vomiting during tapentadol treatment. Only three opioid-tolerant patients experienced nausea which was considered to be related to tapentadol. CONCLUSION: Tapentadol is effective and well tolerated in opioid-naïve and opioid-tolerant patients with cancer pain of varying pathophysiology, including those with nociceptive and/or neuropathic components. Tapentadol may be considered for first-line use in moderate-to-severe cancer-related pain.