• Angela L McQueen and Steven A Baroletti.
• Division of Drug Information, Department of Pharmacy Services, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
• Ann Pharmacother. 2002 Oct 1;36(10):1614-9.

ObjectiveTo review the clinical literature evaluating the utilization of intravenous ketamine for the management of cancer-related pain, to summarize the data that suggest ketamine is an appropriate adjuvant method of providing analgesia and to report a case of successful pain management using ketamine in a patient with recurrent testicular cancer at our institution.Data SourcesPrimary literature was identified through a MEDLINE search (1966-March 2002), and additional information was obtained through secondary and tertiary sources.Data SynthesisThe available data suggest that supplementation of morphine with ketamine improves analgesia in patients with cancer, and also provides insight to the controversy regarding the efficacy and adverse effects of various ketamine doses. At subanesthetic doses, ketamine may be beneficial at reducing opioid requirements and related adverse effects.Case SummaryA 34-year-old white man with recurrent testicular cancer was admitted with radiating neuropathic pain of the legs and lower back. The patient was suspected to also be experiencing opioid adverse effects; therefore, alternative analgesic options were warranted. Ketamine was successful in reducing patient-reported pain and was also well tolerated.ConclusionsKetamine is an adjuvant analgesic for the treatment of cancer-related pain when other agents either fail or are intolerable. Accordingly, there are several factors that may prevent adequate pain control with opioid use; therefore, alternative analgesic options should be considered. Promise exists for ketamine as a contemporary analgesic in the appropriate patient.

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