• Cobo DolsManuelMhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-3402-1144Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Spain manuelcobodols@yahoo.es., Carmen Beato Zambrano, Luis Cabezón Gutiérrez, Rodolfo Chicas Sett, María Isabel Blancas López-Barajas, Francisco García Navalón, José Luis Fírvida Pérez, Gala Serrano Bermúdez, Pilar Togores Torres, Ignacio Delgado Mingorance, Alexandra Giraldo Marín, Anna Librán Oriol, Alfredo Paredes Lario, Pedro Sánchez Mauriño, Oliver Higuera Gómez, Diana Moreno Muñoz, Antonio Javier Jiménez López, Ibone Huerta González, Almudena Sanz Yagüe, and Begoña Soler López.
• Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Spain manuelcobodols@yahoo.es.
• BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2021 Mar 1; 11 (1): 25-31.

ObjectivesOpioid-induced constipation (OIC) can affect up to 63% of all patients with cancer. The objectives of this study were to assess quality of life as well as efficacy and safety of naloxegol, in patients with cancer with OIC.MethodsAn observational study was made of a cohort of patients with cancer and with OIC exhibiting an inadequate response to laxatives and treated with naloxegol. The sample consisted of adult outpatients with a Karnofsky performance status score ≥50. The Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAC-QOL) and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM) were applied for 3 months.ResultsA total of 126 patients (58.2% males) with a mean age of 61.3 years (range 34-89) were included. Clinically relevant improvements (>0.5 points) were recorded in the PAC-QOL and PAC-SYM questionnaires (p<0.0001) from 15 days of treatment. The number of days a week with complete spontaneous bowel movements increased significantly (p<0.0001) from 2.4 to 4.6 on day 15, 4.7 after 1 month and 5 after 3 months. Pain control significantly improved (p<0.0001) during follow-up. A total of 13.5% of the patients (17/126) presented some gastrointestinal adverse reaction, mostly of mild (62.5%) or moderate intensity (25%).ConclusionsClinically relevant improvements in OIC-related quality of life, number of bowel movements and constipation-related symptoms were recorded as early as after 15 days of treatment with naloxegol in patients with cancer and OIC, with a good safety profile.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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