Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41214766›Full record

ArticleSystematic reviews2025

Evaluating buprenorphine to treat cancer pain: a systematic review protocol.

Rafina Khateeb, Victoria Powell, Jack Rosenberg, Lauren Rose, Kayla Sheehan, Christian Mackey, Philip Papaioannou, Maria Silveira

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Systematic reviews, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Rafina KhateebDivision of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan, F7896 UH South, SPC 5233, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. rafina@umich.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-3037-6415
Victoria PowellDivision of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan, F7896 UH South, SPC 5233, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Jack RosenbergDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, 1H247 UH, SPC 5048, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Lauren RoseHospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program, The Ohio State University, 1581 Dodd Drive, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
Kayla SheehanDivision of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan, F7896 UH South, SPC 5233, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Christian MackeyDepartment of Family and Community Medicine's Residency Program, University of New Mexico, 915 Camino de Salud NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA.
Philip PapaioannouInternal Medicine Residency Program, University of Michigan, 3116 Taubman Center, SPC 5368, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Maria SilveiraDivision of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan, F7896 UH South, SPC 5233, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany patients with cancer experience pain related to their disease. Opioids are commonly used for moderate-to-severe cancer-related pain but carry significant side effects that may worsen quality of life. Buprenorphine, a partial mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, is increasingly used for the management of cancer-related pain. Although well studied as a treatment for opioid use disorder, its role in managing cancer pain is less understood.

methodsWe aim to systematically gather, assess, and summarize prior studies on the impact of buprenorphine upon cancer-related pain. Cochrane CENTRAL, OVID Medline, EMBASE, EBSCO, and Web of Science will be searched in September 2025 for any studies available to date. Studies involving buprenorphine as an intervention upon cancer-related pain will be included where pain outcomes are measured at two or more timepoints using a validated scale. Exclusions apply to case studies/series with fewer than five subjects, qualitative studies, conference abstracts, review articles, research protocols, studies solely focused on post-operative pain, and studies not available in English translation. After final selection, study type classification, and data extraction, a quality assessment will be conducted using the Cochrane ROB 2 tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort and case-control studies. The summarized data will be evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. DISCUSSION: The primary objective is to fill a knowledge gap by summarizing literature on buprenorphine for cancer pain management, including a broad range of study designs, drug formulations, and dosing. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of buprenorphine's efficacy and safety in cancer pain management, which could inform clinical practice and future research directions. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: This protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022383591).

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineCancer PainNeoplasmsPain ManagementHumansQuality of LifeSystematic Reviews as TopicAnalgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineBuprenorphineCancer painPalliative careSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41214766
PMCPMC12599013

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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.