Subanesthetic Ketamine in the Ambulatory Setting for Refractory Cancer Pain: A 6-Year Retrospective at a Cancer Center

Abstract

Pain is common in advanced cancer is often refractory to standard treatment. Ketamine has shown promise as an effective adjuvant despite conflicting reports. The aim of this retrospective was to analyze the efficacy of subanesthetic ketamine infusion in the ambulatory setting over an extended follow-up period of 3 months for symptoms related to refractory cancer pain. Forty seven patients treated with intravenous ketamine infusion for refractory cancer pain at a tertiary referral cancer center. Patients demonstrated improvement from baseline in worst, mean, current and least pain immediately after treatment (p < 0.05), worst pain 1 month after treatment (p = 0.003), and current pain (p = 0.036) and worst pain (p = 0.002) 3 months after treatment. Symptoms of quality of life were followed 1 month after treatment.

Keywords::

• cancer pain
• ketamine
• opioids
• outpatient
• quality of life

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.