Abstract 988
Background
Opioid is crucial for cancer pain management, but there are concerns about its use in elder patients. We analyzed national data to explore whether age is a determining factor in opioid prescription for patients with advanced lung cancer.
Methods
We searched the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database for patients with newly diagnosed stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from 2006 to 2010. Patients' prescription data within 3 months of diagnosis were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database. We classified the patients into the elder group (≥ 70 years old upon diagnosis) and the younger group. In multivariate analyses, gender, histology, stage, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hospital level, and co-morbidities were adjusted. Opioids were categorized into strong (morphine and fentanyl) and weak opioids (buprenorphine, codeine, and tramadol).
Results
A total of 26,664 patients were included; 61% were male, and the median age was 70 years. There were 13,332 and 13,332 patients in the elder group and the younger group, respectively. Elder patients were more likely to be male and have stage IIIB disease, but less likely to be treated in medical centers, have adenocarcinoma histology, and receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In the multivariate analysis, elder patients were less likely to receive analgesics (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.70, p
Conclusions
Among patients newly diagnosed to have advanced NSCLC, elder patients were less likely to receive opioids for pain management. Among opioid users, elder patients were more likely to receive strong opioids.
Clinical trial identification
Legal entity responsible for the study
National Taiwan University Hospital & E-Da hospital
Funding
National Taiwan University Hospital & E-Da hospital
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.