Flupirtine in the Management of Taxane-induced Pain in Cancer Patients
Open Access
- 29 July 2022
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Scientific Scholar in Indian Journal of Palliative Care
- Vol. 28 (3), 262-265
- https://doi.org/10.25259/ijpc_41_2021
Abstract
Objectives: Paclitaxel and docetaxel are two commonly used chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of various types of cancers. However, debilitating taxane-induced arthralgia and myalgia are among the most common adverse reactions associated with taxanes, which has greatly influenced medical practitioners. Most of the mild and moderate analgesics were found to be less effective in the management of taxane induced pain. So we used flupirtine, a non-opioid analgesic, in the treatment of taxane-induced pain. Materials and Methods: In this study, we analysed the baseline pain score and follow-up data of 60 patients receiving a taxane-based chemotherapy regimen. Baseline data of these study populations experiencing significant taxane-induced pain were compared with follow-up data after treating them with analgesic flupirtine (200 mg/day). The baseline and follow-up data representing pain were assessed with the help of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the quality of life was determined using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) scale questionnaire. Results: The mean baseline and follow-up VAS score was compared using paired sample t-test, which showed a significant reduction in taxane-induced pain after treatment with flupirtine (P < 0.001). Similarly, the mean BPI score representing the quality of life before and after treatment with flupirtine was compared, and a notable improvement in quality of life was seen after treatment with flupirtine. The mean and follow-up data of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels of patients were also compared to assess the adverse drug reaction profile of the drug, and the analyzed data was found to be statistically insignificant (no significant liver toxicity) which indicates that drug can be used effectively for a period of <2 weeks. Conclusion: We believe that flupirtine can be used as an effective analgesic in dire situations where patients require opioid analgesics for the management of taxane-induced pain, provided that the drug is given for <2 weeks to avoid drug-related hepatotoxicity.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- Taxane-induced arthralgia and myalgia: A literature reviewJournal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice, 2016
- Update on Prevalence of Pain in Patients With Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisJournal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2016
- Taxane anticancer agents: a patent perspectiveExpert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2015
- Erratum to: Pain in cancer patients: pain assessment by patients and family caregivers and problems experienced by caregiversSupportive Care in Cancer, 2015
- Pain in cancer patients: pain assessment by patients and family caregivers and problems experienced by caregiversSupportive Care in Cancer, 2014
- Proposed medications for taxane-induced myalgia and arthralgia (Review)Oncology Letters, 2012
- Flupirtine : Clinical pharmacologyJournal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology, 2012
- Paclitaxel induces axonal microtubules polar reconfiguration and impaired organelle transport: implications for the pathogenesis of paclitaxel-induced polyneuropathyActa Neuropathologica, 2009
- Managing taxane toxicitiesSupportive Care in Cancer, 2003
- Neuronale Kaliumkanalöffnung durch FlupirtinFortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 1999