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Petrillo LA, Jones KF, El-Jawahri A, Sanders J, Greer JA, Temel JS. Why and How to Integrate Early Palliative Care Into Cutting-Edge Personalized Cancer Care. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 2024; 44:e100038. [PMID: 38815187 DOI: 10.1200/edbk_100038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Early palliative care, palliative care integrated with oncology care early in the course of illness, has myriad benefits for patients and their caregivers, including improved quality of life, reduced physical and psychological symptom burden, enhanced prognostic awareness, and reduced health care utilization at the end of life. Although ASCO and others recommend early palliative care for all patients with advanced cancer, widespread implementation of early palliative care has not been realized because of barriers such as insufficient reimbursement and a palliative care workforce shortage. Investigators have recently tested several implementation strategies to overcome these barriers, including triggers for palliative care consultations, telehealth delivery, navigator-delivered interventions, and primary palliative care interventions. More research is needed to identify mechanisms to distribute palliative care optimally and equitably. Simultaneously, the transformation of the oncology treatment landscape has led to shifts in the supportive care needs of patients and caregivers, who may experience longer, uncertain trajectories of cancer. Now, palliative care also plays a clear role in the care of patients with hematologic malignancies and may be beneficial for patients undergoing phase I clinical trials and their caregivers. Further research and clinical guidance regarding how to balance the risks and benefits of opioid therapy and safely manage cancer-related pain across this wide range of settings are urgently needed. The strengths of early palliative care in supporting patients' and caregivers' coping and centering decisions on their goals and values remain valuable in the care of patients receiving cutting-edge personalized cancer care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Petrillo
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Katie Fitzgerald Jones
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- New England Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Jamaica Plain, MA
| | - Areej El-Jawahri
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Justin Sanders
- Division of Supportive and Palliative Care, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, CA
- Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, CA
| | - Joseph A Greer
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Jennifer S Temel
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
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Thornton JD, Varisco T, Patel H, Shrestha M, Wanat M, Schaefer E, Leslie D, Zhao H, Saadi RA, Shen C. Characterising incident opioid use among incident users of prescription sedative hypnotics: A national cohort study. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e082339. [PMID: 38816043 PMCID: PMC11138274 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate co-prescribing of sedatives hypnotics and opioids. DESIGN Retrospective study evaluating the association of patient characteristics and comorbidities with coprescribing. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Using the national Merative MarketScan Database between 2005 and 2018, we identified patients who received an incident sedative prescription with or without subsequent, incident opioid prescriptions within a year of the sedative prescription in the USA. OUTCOME MEASURES Coprescription of sedative-hypnotics and opioids. RESULTS A total of 2 632 622 patients (mean (SD) age, 43.2 (12.34) years; 1 297 356 (62.5%) female) received incident prescriptions for sedatives over the course of the study period. The largest proportion of sedative prescribing included benzodiazepines (71.1%); however, z-drugs (19.9%) and barbiturates (9%) were also common. About 557 845 (21.2%) patients with incident sedatives also received incident opioid prescriptions. About 59.2% of these coprescribed patients received opioids coprescription on the same day. Multivariate logistic regression findings showed that individuals with a comorbidity index score of 1, 2 or ≥3 (aOR 1.19 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.21), 1.17 (95% C 1.14 to 1.19) and 1.25 (95% C 1.2 to 1.31)) and substance use disorder (1.21 (95% C 1.19 to 1.23)) were more likely to be coprescribed opioids and sedatives. The likelihood of receiving both opioid and sedative prescriptions was lower for female patients (aOR 0.93; 95% CI 0.92 to 0.94), and those receiving a barbiturate (aOR 0.3; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.31) or z-drugs (aOR 0.67; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.68) prescriptions at the index date. CONCLUSIONS Coprescription of sedatives with opioids was associated with the presence of comorbidities and substance use disorder, gender and types of sedatives prescribed at the index date. Additionally, more than half of the coprescribing occurred on the same day which warrants further evaluation of current prescribing and dispensing best practice guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Douglas Thornton
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tyler Varisco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Harshil Patel
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mina Shrestha
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew Wanat
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Eric Schaefer
- The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Douglas Leslie
- Center for Applied Studies in Health Economics, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Health Services Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Randa Al Saadi
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chan Shen
- Division of Outcomes Research and Quality, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
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Thornton JD, Varisco T, Prachet B, Olateju O, Shrestha M, Shen C. Productivity Loss Among Opioid and Benzodiazepine Users in the United States: A Medical Expenditure Panel Survey From 2010 to 2019. J Occup Environ Med 2024; 66:226-233. [PMID: 38151973 PMCID: PMC10922134 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000003029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study is to estimate the association between productivity losses and the use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines among employed US adults with painful conditions. METHODS Using Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (2010-2019), we used two-part (logistic regression and generalized linear model with zero-truncated negative binomial link) model to compare missed workdays due to illness or injury among employed adults with a painful condition. RESULTS Of the eligible sample of 57,413 working US individuals, 14.65% were prescription opioid users, 2.95% were benzodiazepine users, and 1.59% were both opioid and benzodiazepine users. The predicted missed workdays were 5.75 (95% Confidence Limit [CL]: 5.58-5.92) days for benzodiazepine users, 13.06 (95% CL: 12.88-13.23) days among opioid users, and 15.18 (95% CL: 14.46-15.90) days for opioid and benzodiazepine concomitant users. CONCLUSIONS Concomitant use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines was significantly associated with having more missed workdays among employed adults with documented painful conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Douglas Thornton
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tyler Varisco
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Bhatt Prachet
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Olajumoke Olateju
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mina Shrestha
- Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chan Shen
- Division of Outcomes Research and Quality, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, USA
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Concurrent prescribing of opioids with other sedating medications after cancer diagnosis: a population-level analysis. Support Care Cancer 2022; 30:9781-9791. [DOI: 10.1007/s00520-022-07439-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Durham DD, Strassels SA, Pinsky PF. Opioid use by cancer status and time since diagnosis among older adults enrolled in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian screening trial in the United States. Cancer Med 2021; 10:2175-2187. [PMID: 33638315 PMCID: PMC7957211 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.3810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dosing limits in opioid clinical practice guidelines in the United States are likely misapplied to cancer patients, however, opioid use may be difficult to ascertain as they are largely excluded from opioid use studies. METHODS The primary objective was to determine whether cancer patients were more likely to be chronic opioid users after diagnosis. We described prescription opioid use among U.S. older adult cancer patients during two time periods, within 2 years of diagnosis (short-term) and at least 2 years beyond diagnosis (long-term), compared to those without cancer (controls). Among participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) screening trial with linkages to Medicare Part D data during 2011-2015, we used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the association between cancer diagnosis and opioid use outcomes controlling for demographics. The primary outcome of opioid use was measured with the following metrics: Any opioid use, chronic use (90 consecutive days supply of opioid use while allowing for a 7-day gap between refills), high use (average daily morphine equivalent (MME) ≥120 mg for any 90-day period), and total MME dose above 2,000 mg (MME2000 ). RESULTS The short-term cohort included 1,491 cancer patients and 24,930 controls. Any use in the 2-year post-diagnosis period was higher among cancer patients OR 3.3 (95% CI: 3.0-3.7). Chronic use rates were similar by cancer status (4.6% vs. 3.8% for cases and controls, respectively). The long-term cohort included 4,377 cancer patients and 27,545 controls. Rates of any use were similar among cancer patients and controls (63% vs. 59%). CONCLUSIONS Any opioid use was similar among long-term cancer survivors compared to controls, but differed among short-term survivors for any opioid use and marginally for chronic opioid use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle D Durham
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Prevention, Healthcare Delivery Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Scott A Strassels
- Center for Surgical Health Assessment Research and Policy, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Paul F Pinsky
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Cata JP, Kim DD. Opioid and Benzodiazepine Use in Women With Breast Cancer: More Work on the Horizon. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2021; 19:119-120. [PMID: 33406499 DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2020.7698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Strassels SA, Durham DD. RE: Concurrent Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions Among Older Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2020; 112:1279. [PMID: 32956456 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaa145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Strassels
- Department of Surgery and Center for Surgical Health Assessment, Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Danielle D Durham
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Farkas AH, Winn A, Pezzin LE, Fergestrom N, Laud P, Neuner JM. The Use and Concurrent Use of Side Effect Controlling Medications Among Women on Aromatase Inhibitors. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2020; 30:131-136. [PMID: 33103945 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Women on aromatase inhibitors (AIs) as part of their breast cancer treatment often experience difficult to control side effects. Although there are several medications to manage the side effects of AI therapy, many of them are associated with their own risk, particularly sedation. The objective of this study was to describe the prescribing practices for side effect managing (SE) medications among women with breast cancer on AI therapy and to assess for combinations of medications that may present a clinical risk to patients. Methods: Retrospective data analysis using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data of all women aged 66-90 years with stage I-III hormone positive breast cancer diagnosed between 2008 and 2014 who initiated AI therapy within 12 months of their diagnosis. We determined the percentage of patients prescribed an SE medication in the 12 months prior and in the 24 months after the initiation of AI therapy. We calculated the number of prescriptions and the number of days of overlapping (i.e., >1 SE) prescriptions, and examined predictors of overlapping prescriptions. Results: The use of SE medications was pervasive and increased after initiation of AI therapy. The most commonly prescribed medications were opiates (55.1%), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (22.6%), benzodiazepines (18.4%), tramadol (17.7%) and gabapentin (14.6%). In total 15.5% of patients had overlapping prescriptions; among those, 36.2% had three overlapping prescriptions. Prior use was the strongest predictor of overlapping prescriptions with an odds ratio of 7.9 (95% confidence interval: 7.17-8.77). Conclusion: Among women on AI therapy, the use of SE medications is common and many have overlapping prescriptions raising concern for potential harm from polypharmacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy H Farkas
- Division of General Internal Medicine Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Milwaukee VA Medicine Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Aaron Winn
- Department of Clinical Sciences School of Pharmacy Medical College of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Center for Advancing Population Science Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Liliana E Pezzin
- Institue for Health and Society, Center for Healthcare Delivery Science Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nicole Fergestrom
- Center for Advancing Population Science Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Prakash Laud
- Division of Biostatistics Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Joan M Neuner
- Division of General Internal Medicine Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Center for Advancing Population Science Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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