Range of Effective Corticosteroid Doses for Alleviating Dyspnea in Terminal Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Review

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to determine the range of mean cumulative corticosteroid doses that could effectively palliate dyspnea in opioid-treated patients with terminal cancer and to investigate the demographic or biochemical factors predictive of corticosteroid responsiveness. To this end, responders and nonresponders were compared with regard to corticosteroid dose and whether they had initiated opioid use before or concomitantly with corticosteroid use. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the impacts of demographic and biochemical factors on corticosteroid effectiveness. The final sample comprised 20 patients who satisfied the selection criteria. The responders accounted for 70% of the total sample (n = 14) and experienced the strongest effect with regard to dyspnea palliation at a mean cumulative dose equivalent to 64.4 mg prednisolone. However, no factors predictive of response were identified. In summary, this retrospective study identified effective corticosteroid doses for dyspnea alleviation in terminal cancer patients. Although our study sample was limited in size, the results support further prospective research.

KEYWORDS:

• cancer
• corticosteroids
• dyspnea
• dose-response relationship
• drug
• inpatient terminal care
• terminal cancer patients

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.