Incidence of Opioid-Associated Deaths in Cancer Survivors in the United States, 2006-2016

Abstract

More than 40 000 people in the US died owing to opioids in 2016; the epidemic tops public health concerns. Opioids are commonly used for cancer-associated pain, and there has been a call for oncologists to become more aware of opioid-related risks and benefits.¹ It is unknown, however, if opioid-related deaths in cancer survivors are rising at the same rate as in the general population. Identify all potential conflicts of interest that might be relevant to your comment. Conflicts of interest comprise financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including but not limited to employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speaker's bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. Err on the side of full disclosure. If you have no conflicts of interest, check "No potential conflicts of interest" in the box below. The information will be posted with your response. Not all submitted comments are published. Please see our commenting policy for details.