Munetoshi Sugiura

Analysis of Factors Related to the Use of Opioid Analgesics in Regional Cancer Centers in Japan

PURPOSE The use of opioid analgesics and nonopioid medicines for the treatment of various symptoms in regional cancer centers is considered to be an index of the effectiveness of the structural plan for palliative care in such institutions. The present study aimed to establish an accurate representation of the actual use of opioid analgesics for palliative care in regional cancer centers. METHODS In November 2007, a questionnaire regarding the use of medications for palliative care was conducted in 288 regional cancer centers in Japan. Valid responses were received from 264 institutions (response rate, 91.4%). RESULTS All regional cancer centers reported using both opioid analgesics and nonopioid medicines. However, regarding opioid analgesics, the use of each standard strength ranged from 7% to 100%. The total amount of opioid analgesics used was 1739.6 +/- 1216.5 g (mean +/- SD). Factors found to be significantly related to the total amount of opioid analgesics used in an institution were the number of opioid analgesic medicines in use (p = 0.008), the number of inpatients with cancer (p < 0.001), the number of deaths among patients with cancer (p < 0.001), and the number of beds (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION Increase in the amount of opioid analgesics might improve the quality of palliative care at regional cancer centers.