Transdermal fentanyl for pain due to chemoradiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in nasopharyngeal cancer patients: evaluating efficacy, safety, and improvement in quality of life

Figures & data

Table 1 SPAASMS scorecard

Abbreviations: SPAASMS, Score for pain, Physical activity levels, Additional pain medication, Additional physician/emergency room visits, Sleep, Mood, and Side effects; GP, general practitioner; ED, emergency department.

Table 2 Patient characteristics and treatments (n=78)

Characteristic	N
Sex
Female:male	19:59
Age (years)
Median (range)	41 (31–52)
AJCC stage
T3N0M0 (%)	10 (12.82)
T3N1M0 (%)	16 (20.51)
T3N2M0 (%)	13 (16.67)
T4N0M0 (%)	14 (17.95)
T4N1M0 (%)	16 (20.51)
T4N2M0 (%)	9 (11.54)
Chemotherapy regimen*
Cisplatin/5-Fu (%)	38 (48.72)
Taxol/cisplatin (%)	40 (51.28)

Notes:

* Cisplatin/5-Fu – cisplatin 80 mg/m² day 1, fluorouracil 600 mg/m² days 1–5, repeated on 22nd day; taxol/cisplatin – taxol 120 mg/m² day 1, cisplatin 80 mg/m² day 1, repeated on 22nd day.

Abbreviations: AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer; T, tumor stage; N, lymph node; M, metastasis stage.

Figure 1 Change of mean NRS score after treatment with TDF.

Abbreviations: TDF, transdermal fentanyl; VAS, visual analog scale; NRS, numeric rating scale.

Table 3 Incidence of treatment-related adverse events

Adverse event	n (%)
Nausea and vomiting	8 (10.26)
Dizziness	4 (5.13)
Stomach upset	3 (3.85)
Skin rash	1 (1.28)
Constipation	3 (3.85)

Table 4 Comparison of life-quality indices before and after treatment with transdermal fentanyl (SPAASMS)

Characteristic	Before	After	P-value
Activity and mobility	2.19±0.39	1.90±0.41	<0.001*
Sleep quality	2.96±0.19	2.24±0.43	<0.001*
Mood	2.89±0.31	1.96±0.19	<0.001*
Additional GP/ED visits	2.67±0.47	1.04±0.19	<0.001*
Side effects	0	0.05±0.22	0.070
SPAASMS	17.77±0.66	10.23±0.72	<0.001*

Note:

* P<0.05.

Abbreviations: SPAASMS, Score for pain, Physical activity levels, Additional pain medication, Additional Physician/ER Visits, Sleep, Mood, Side effects; GP, general practitioner; ED, emergency department.