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Development of Recombinant Proteins to Treat Chronic Pain
10:37

Development of Recombinant Proteins to Treat Chronic Pain

Published on: April 11, 2018

Recent development in therapeutics for breakthrough pain

Mellar P Davis1

  • 1Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, The Harry R Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. davism6@ccf.org

Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
|April 28, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Breakthrough pain, characterized by rapid flares, requires swift management. Newer fentanyl formulations and alternative routes offer faster relief than traditional oral opioids for cancer pain.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pain Management
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Breakthrough pain presents as sudden, short-lived pain flares, often linked to cancer or its treatment.
  • The rapid onset and offset of these pain episodes necessitate rapid-acting analgesia.
  • Conventional oral opioids are frequently insufficient for managing these intense pain flares effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current strategies for managing breakthrough pain.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of various pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
  • To highlight advancements in pain management for opioid-tolerant individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on breakthrough pain management strategies.
  • Analysis of different routes of administration for analgesics.
  • Inclusion of non-pharmacological treatment options.

Main Results:

  • Buccal fentanyl demonstrates faster analgesia compared to oral morphine.
  • Newer fentanyl preparations and alternative routes (intranasal, inhaled, parenteral) offer rapid pain relief.
  • Sublingual ketamine and intrathecal local anesthetics showed effectiveness in severe cases.
  • Non-pharmacological methods like radiation therapy and surgical interventions are viable for activity-related pain.

Conclusions:

  • Rapid-onset analgesics are crucial for effective breakthrough pain management.
  • Buccal fentanyl and other advanced formulations provide superior pain control.
  • A multimodal approach, including non-pharmacological options, is essential for comprehensive breakthrough pain care.

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