Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Oral tramadol, a mu-opioid agonist and monoamine reuptake-blocker, and morphine for strong cancer-related pain.
Opioid and spinal monoaminergic agonists have distinct analgesic properties, which may potentiate each other. Tramadol has both opioid and monoaminergic agonist actions. This initial study compared the analgesic and toxic effects of tramadol and morphine in patients with strong cancer pain. ⋯ In certain cancer patients with strong pain, tramadol achieved good pain control with fewer side-effects than morphine. The non-opioid mode of action may result in a different spectrum of analgesia and side-effects. Longterm studies are required to confirm this study of brief duration.