Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27997283›Full record

ArticleJournal of palliative medicine2017

Overall Survival among Cancer Patients Undergoing Opioid Rotation to Methadone Compared to Other Opioids.

Akhila Reddy, Ulrich S Schuler, Maxine de la Cruz, Sriram Yennurajalingam, Jimin Wu, Diane Liu, Eduardo Bruera

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of palliative medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. How to Use Methadone in an Era of an Opioid Epidemic.Current treatment options in oncology · 2020
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Practical Pharmacology of Methadone: A Long-acting Opioid.Indian journal of palliative care · 2018
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Akhila Reddy1 Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, Texas.
Ulrich S Schuler2 Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus , PalliativCentrum & Medizinische Klinik, Dresden, Germany .
Maxine de la Cruz1 Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, Texas.
Sriram Yennurajalingam1 Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, Texas.
Jimin Wu3 Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, Texas.
Diane Liu3 Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, Texas.
Eduardo Bruera1 Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, Texas.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · USUniversity Hospital Carl Gustav Carus · DE

Funding

Tumor Evolution and Metastasis ProgramP30CA016672 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Fabien Delerue · 1985 to 2026
$290.8M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMethadone has been associated with lower overall survival (OS) in patients with chronic pain. There are no data available on the association of methadone with OS in cancer patients.

objectiveOur aim was to compare the OS in cancer outpatients undergoing opioid rotation (OR) to methadone and other strong opioids.

designDemographics, symptoms, and morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) were collected in patients who underwent OR from strong opioids to either methadone or other strong opioids and returned for a follow-up within six weeks. SETTING/SUBJECTS: Nine hundred thirty-eight consecutive outpatients to the supportive care center of a tertiary cancer center were reviewed. MEASUREMENTS: Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate survival.

resultsOf a total of 164 eligible patients, 54/76 patients who underwent OR to methadone and 48/88 patients who underwent OR to other opioids returned for a follow-up visit. The median age was 56 years, 54% were male, and 87% had advanced cancer. There were no significant differences between the two groups in patient characteristics, performance status, MEDD, and pain scores. The Kaplan-Meier curves revealed no significant difference in median OS between all patients undergoing OR to methadone and other opioids [3.75 months (95% confidence interval, CI, 2.30-6.46) vs. 2.62 months (95% CI 1.74-4.33); p = 0.35] and also among those who returned for a follow-up following an OR to methadone and other opioids [5.15 months (95% CI 3.64-7.41) vs. 5.90 months (95% CI 2.62-9.28); p = 0.89].

conclusionsWe observed no significant difference in OS in cancer patients in methadone group compared to other opioids.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPain ManagementSurvivorsAnalgesics, OpioidFemaleHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMethadoneMiddle AgedOutpatientsAnalgesics, OpioidMethadonecancer paincancer patientsmethadonemortalityopioid rotationsurvival

Identifiers

PMID27997283
PMCPMC5915217
OpenAlexW2586731445

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.