Wiffen, P.J., Derry, S., Naessens, K., & Bell, R.F. (2015). Oral tapentadol for cancer pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, CD011460.
STUDY PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of tapentadol for relief of cancer pain
TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review
PHASE OF CARE: Late effects and survivorship
APPLICATIONS: Palliative care
Tapentadol was as effective as oxycodone or morphine in comparator studies. No substantial differences in side effects were seen between tapentadol and comparators.
Tapentadol is as effective as oxycodone or morphine for chronic pain management.
Tapentadol was shown to be effective for management of cancer-related pain, but little suggests that it should be considered above other opioids. Further research would be helpful. The authors suggest that a reduction of pain intensity of at least 50% should be used to establish treatment efficacy, and note that tapentadol, as with all opioids, presents challenges in terms of benefits and side effects of treatment.