Chronic opioid use after laryngeal cancer treatment

Nicole Starr, Douglas R. Oyler, Aric Schadler, Rony K. Aouad

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Survivors of head and neck cancer may be at increased risk for chronic opioid use and questions remain about risk factors. Methods: Retrospective study of patients with laryngeal cancer prescribed opioids utilizing the Truven Health Marketscan database. Patients had laryngeal cancer, underwent treatment, filled an opioid prescription, and were enrolled in this private insurance plan 1 year prior to and after treatment. Results: In this study, 7484 patients were included; 17.2% developed chronic opioid use, defined as consecutive opioid fills at least 90 days after treatment cessation. Early opioid use (OR = 3.607, 95% CI [3.125–4.163]), tobacco use (OR = 1.28, 95% CI [1.117–1.467]), median morphine milligram equivalent (MME; OR = 1.001, 95% CI [1.000–1.0001]), and radiation alone (OR = 1.435, 95% CI [1.199–1.717]) were predictive of chronic opioid use. Conclusions: Nearly one in five patients prescribed opioids during treatment developed chronic use. Providers should discuss the risk of chronic opioid use, set expectations for opioid weaning, and consider adjunct pain regimens to develop effective pain management strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1242-1251
Number of pages10
JournalHead and Neck
Volume43
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC

Funding

The project described was supported by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant number UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

FundersFunder number
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)UL1TR001998

    Keywords

    • chronic use
    • head and neck cancer
    • laryngeal carcinoma
    • larynx cancer
    • opioid

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Otorhinolaryngology

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