Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy
Consequences of opioid exposure in disease-free cancer survivors: A systematic literature review
By Truong AM, Hong S, Brody ER and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Chronic pain affects a substantial proportion of cancer survivors, and opioid therapy is commonly used to manage persistent symptoms. However, as survivors transition from active treatment to disease-free survivorship, the long-term consequences of persistent opioid exposure remain poorly characterized.
Objectives
To characterize the consequences of opioid exposure after curative-intent treatment in disease-free cancer survivors, focusing on outcomes including survival, recurrence, opioid-related harms, opioid use disorder (OUD), and health care resource use (HRU).
Methods
A systematic literature review was conducted, and MEDLINE and Embase were searched (January 2009-October 2024) for studies evaluating opioid exposure in cancer survivors and its association with survival, recurrence, opioid-related harms, OUD, and HRU.