New drugs for pain management in advanced cancer patients

Advanced cancer patients represent a frail population, often requiring aggressive pain management, particularly in the late stage of disease, when untreated pain is one the most important causes of suffering. Areas covered: In the last decade, a series of new analgesics have been introduced in the market to offer additional options amongst existent drugs. The characteristics of these drugs, their efficacy and tolerability are examined on the basis of existent studies. Expert opinion: Although new analgesic preparations have been developed in recent years, no specific drug has provided a better analgesic performance in comparison with others. Some technologies have been developed to increase the safety or decrease the opioid-related adverse effects, with some molecules providing extra-opioid analgesia. However, existing studies did not present relevant advantages over traditional opioids. The new formulations developed to provide a rapid and non-invasive analgesia for breakthrough pain have really changed the approach to this phenomenon, characterized by a specific temporal pattern requiring a short onset, and duration of the analgesic effect. The availability of new drugs, indeed, may enlarge the possibilities of individualizing treatment, according to specific clinical needs and individual response.