[A study of 31 terminally ill cancer patients who received pure oxycodone injections at home]

Since the launch of pure oxycodone injections in May 2012, it has been possible to use oxycodone without opioid rotation. Although an extremely important step showing progress, very few studies regarding the use of pure oxycodone injections have been performed. In this study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of pure oxycodone injections in 31 terminally ill cancer patients receiving home care. The difficulty in oral oxycodone intake was the main reason for changing to pure oxycodone injections. The mean administered period of subcutaneous pure oxycodone was 5.6 ± 6.7 days. One out of 5 patients receiving pure oxycodone injections complained of worsening sleepiness. However, other symptoms improved. In addition, in cases wherein pure oxycodone injection was the initiating opioid, 1 out of 6 patients showed no improvement of respiratory discomfort, while other symptoms improved. It was difficult to evaluate more patients because of the short period for administration. Although 5 patients experienced skin problems, they were successfully managed by changing the injection site. Of these 5 patients, 2 patients had sensitive skin, with a previous history of alcohol rash. In conclusion, our study suggests that pure oxycodone injections are beneficial over oral oxycodone treatment for terminally ill cancer patients. However, further evaluation of skin problems associated with pure oxycodone injections is required by performing larger studies.