Therapeutics and clinical risk management
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Oral opioids are the treatment of choice for chronic cancer pain. Morphine is the strong opioid of choice for the treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain according to guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). This recommendation by the WHO was derived from availability, familiarity to clinicians, established effectiveness, simplicity of administration, and relative inexpensive cost. ⋯ Its toxicity profile seems better than that of morphine. There are actually several illustrations of a lower incidence of side-effects in the central nervous system. It is therefore possible to conclude that oxycodone represents a valid alternative to morphine in the management of moderate to severe cancer pain, also as first-line treatment.