Efficacy and safety of fentanyl patch in cancer patients from the active treatment period to the terminal stage

A correction of a coauthor's name from Chigusa Nakamura to Chigusa Nakagawa on the author list and the abstract.

A case of successful treatment with a combination of morphine and a fentanyl patch in a patient suffering from cancer pain accompanied by coughing and dyspnea

<b>Objective</b>: Opioid analgesics are normally administered as monotherapy. However, we experienced a patient in whom alleviations of cancer pain, coughing and dyspnea were successfully achieved with the combination therapy of morphine and a fentanyl patch (FP), and the case is reported herein. <b>Case Report</b>: A woman in her fifties, suffering from sigmoid colon cancer, liver and lung metastases, and associated pain complicated with coughing and dyspnea, manifested symptomatic alleviations following the facilitation of treatment with morphine sulphate. Taking into consideration that oral intake would become difficult at some time in the future, treatment switchover to FP was planned. However, in view of the efficacy of fentanyl against coughing and dyspnea having not yet been firmly established, a low dose of morphine sulphate for coughing and dyspnea continued and cancer pain was controlled with FP. Thus, through continued combined use of the two ingredients, morphine and fentanyl, until treatment end, symptomatic alleviations of pain, coughing and dyspnea were able to be achieved. <b>Conclusion</b>: For patients experiencing difficulty with oral intake and suffering from coughing and dyspnea in addition to cancer pain, combined use of a low dose of morphine and FP is considered useful in achieving a stable alleviation of such symptoms.