Abstract
Purpose
The recommended dosing interval for transdermal fentanyl is every 72 h. However, some patients will have “end-of-dose failure,” which may be seen as an increase of episodes of severe pain flares at the third day after application of the patch. A new once-a-day fentanyl patch was developed in Japan since 2010. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the once-a-day fentanyl citrate patch for patients with cancer-related pain receiving the 72-h transdermal fentanyl not lasting 72 h.
Methods
We performed a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of 445 inpatients with the 72-h transdermal fentanyl at Higashi Sapporo Hospital. We could switch to the once-a-day fentanyl citrate patch if patients reported inadequate pain relief beyond 48 h after application of the 72-h transdermal fentanyl. Patients recorded baseline scores for background pain intensity (PI) and the frequency of use of daily rescue medication for breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP).
Results
Of all patients, 10.1 % showed the increase in PI of 30 % or more baseline PI on the third day after application of the 72-h transdermal fentanyl. Of patients, 84.4 % were converted from equivalent dose of the 72-h transdermal fentanyl to the once-a-day fentanyl citrate patch. On the third day after switching, 60.5 % of patients showed a reduction of more than 30 % from baseline PI. Switching to the once-a-day fentanyl citrate patch significantly reduced the mean frequency of daily rescue dose for BTcP.
Conclusions
A once-a-day fentanyl citrate patch provided stable pain control. Its use may be considered as the dominant strategy for patients receiving a 72-h transdermal fentanyl not lasting 72 h.
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The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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This paper was accepted as a poster at the Multinational Association on Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/ISOO 2013 International Symposium in Berlin, Germany, June 27–29, 2013.
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Koike, K., Terui, T., Nagasako, T. et al. A new once-a-day fentanyl citrate patch (Fentos® Tape) could be a new treatment option in patients with end-of-dose failure using a 72-h transdermal fentanyl matrix patch. Support Care Cancer 24, 1053–1059 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2880-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2880-9