Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39844622›Full record

ArticlePain management2025

The effect of oral methadone on the QTc interval in cancer pain patients.

Soun Sheen, Joy Choo, Billy Huh, Matthew Chung

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Pain management, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Soun SheenDepartment of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1417-1906
Joy ChooDepartment of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Billy HuhDepartment of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Matthew ChungDepartment of Pain Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe QTc prolongation effect of methadone has been extensively studied at higher doses commonly used in opioid dependence maintenance therapy, but evidence remains limited regarding its impact at the lower doses typically prescribed for cancer pain. This study aims to evaluate the effect of oral methadone on QTc intervals in cancer pain patients.

methodsA retrospective analysis was performed on adult patients initiated on oral methadone therapy for cancer. Pre- and post-methadone QTc intervals, obtained within six months before and between six to twelve months after methadone initiation, respectively, were compared. The proportion of patients with QTc intervals greater than 450 msec and 500 msec before and after methadone therapy were compared.

resultsAmong the total of 310 patients, the mean pre-methadone QTc was 384.5 ± 37.8 msec (95% CI 380.3, 388.7) and the mean post-methadone QTc was 388.5 ± 43.4 msec (95% CI 383.6, 393.3). No statistically significant difference in QTc interval was observed (

conclusionLower doses of oral methadone for cancer pain do not result in significant QTc prolongation.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidCancer PainLong QT SyndromeMethadoneAdministration, OralAdultAgedElectrocardiographyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsRetrospective StudiesAnalgesics, OpioidMethadoneadverse effectCancer painchronic painmethadoneopioid

Identifiers

PMID39844622
PMCPMC11801344

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Registered trials

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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.