Assessment of the use of tapentadol in persistent pain of neuropathic origin in cancer

Neuropathic pain is one of the most difficult types of pain to control. Despite the wide availability of drug regulations applicable to both cancer and non-cancer pain, insufficient pain treatment is still reported in population studies. It is believed that despite the availability of drugs recommended for neuropathic pain, a significant number of patients suffer from these ailments. Tapentadol, a new opioid drug, is a representative of the pharmacological class referred to as MOR-NRI (combining μ-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacological treatment with tapentadol in cancer pain with the coexistence of ailments with the features of neuropathic pain. The analysis showed that the use of tapentadol reduced pain symptoms measured using different scales. In the area of NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) assessment, pain reduction was on average 4 points in the group of patients with polytherapy and 2 points in the group with monotherapy. In the assessment according to the VAS scale (Visual Analogue Scale), there was a corresponding reduction in pain intensity by 4.5 points and 4.3 points. In assessing the severity of neuropathic pain using the DN-4 questionnaire, there was a reduction of 2 points when using tapentadol with an anticonvulsant and 4 points in combination therapy with the addition of another opioid. Tapentadol has good efficacy and safety in the treatment of cancer pain with a neuropathic component.