MMW Fortschritte der Medizin
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Paralleling increasing life expectancy, the number of cases of cancer in our population is also on the increase. The question as to whether chemotherapy for the treatment of a tumor in the elderly is appropriate or not, and if so what doses are required, depends in particular on the potentially increased toxicity of the drug in the old patient. The consequence is that alternative substances may have to be sought. When planning treatment, however, additional factors have to be taken into account, such as the possibility of differences in the physiology of the tumor in the elderly, the general state of health of the patient, the presence of concomitant diseases, possible interactions with other medications, and the patient's social environment.
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Opioids are used not only in the treatment of cancer pain, but also pain of non-malignant genesis. In recent years, the efficacy of controlled release (CR) oxycodone in the treatment of the above-mentioned types of pain has been investigated in a number of clinical studies. The present article reviews the clinical studies that have been already published. ⋯ Since there are no clinical relevant metabolites, there is no danger of accumulation in patients with renal infarction due to these metabolites. Side effects are those typical for opioids, and are readily manageable. CR oxycodone is a good alternative in the treatment of non-cancer pain and can be recommended as first-line treatment for the above-mentioned indications.