Better Options for Chronic Cancer Pain: a SMART Study
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
This proposal is relevant to the 240,000 cancer survivors who continue to use opioids long after they have successfully completed treatment for cancer at the VHA, placing them at risk of opioid addiction and overdose, and other opioid-related problems. Yet, there are no programs at the VHA to help them find alternatives to opioids, nor evidence to inform the choice of interventions. This study will meet these needs by examining four interventions that are effective at reducing opioid use in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain but have yet to be tested in cancer survivors on long term opioid therapy. The proposed work is relevant to the VHA Pain Office's mission to provide Veterans better pain management while limiting the risks of long-term opioid therapy and it aligns with VHA Research and Development's priority to examine clinical interventions for tapering opioids. Successful completion this project will keep VHA at the forefront of the battle against the opioid epidemic with a strategy that may be adapted to address the same needs in non-Veterans.
Description
Background: Twenty-four percent of Veterans who survive cancer remain on long term opioid therapy (LTOT) after completing cancer treatment, placing them at significant risk of opioid addiction, overdose, and other opioid-related health conditions. To reduce opioid use in this population, the investigators will examine the impacts of multimodal pain care and buprenorphine rotation - two strategies that have demonstrated efficacy in Veterans with musculoskeletal pain on LTOT but have not been tested in cancer survivors on LTOT, revealing a critical knowledge gap. The overall scientific premise o…