Methadone Serum Concentration Monitoring in Palliative Care Patients with Cancer-Induced Bone Pain: A Short Communication

Abstract

Background: – Therapeutic drug monitoring of methadone for opioid replacement therapy in the management of opioid dependence is well-described. However, only a few studies have described the correlation between serum methadone concentration and cancer pain during palliative care.Methods: – Patients were recruited from an exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing methadone rotation with other opioid rotations for refractory cancer-induced bone pain. Serum methadone trough levels and 2-ethylidene-1, 5-dimethyl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) levels on day 14 of the rotation were analyzed using validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The average and worst pain intensiti..