[ad_1]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a letter of clarification in which they stated that they did not wish to refuse a clinically appropriate opioid treatment to patients with cancer or sickle cell disease, particularly those who were on cancer treatment and survivors with chronic pain.
The unusual question was addressed to three major cancer organizations that met with the CDC last fall to discuss their concerns about the impact of the Guideline on the prescription of opioids for chronic pain.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) all feared that patients would be denied pain medication or reimbursement because of the line Director, which targets health care providers.
The clarification of the CDC is "of utmost importance," said Clifford Hudis, MD, chief executive of ASCO, in a press release.
He explained that the CDC directive "makes it clear that it is not intended to apply to patients in active treatment against cancer and sickle cell disease", but that "many payers l & # 39; 39, use inappropriately to determine opioid coverage for these specific populations. "
The letter from the CDC, signed by Deborah Dowell, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the National Injury Prevention and Control Center, states that the directive "is not intended to prohibit any patient suffering from chronic pain related to opioid treatment from taking in charge of pain ".
The intent of the CDC is to ensure that clinicians and patients "consider all safe and effective treatment options."
The CDC letter explains which cancer patients are covered by their guideline: cancer survivors who have chronic pain and have completed treatment, who are in remission or who are under "cancer surveillance only".
The benefits and risks of all treatments, including opioids, need to be carefully considered, says the CDC's clarification letter. And pain treatment plans should be revisited regularly, according to the agency.
The CDC letter also specifically addresses "selected groups of cancer survivors" with persistent pain due to previous treatment of cancer or cancer, and differs the decision-making recommendations regarding the treatment of survivor guidelines ASCO (2016) and NCCN (2018), both of which have been published. after the CDC guideline. "These guidelines provide useful insights into unique considerations for the use of opioids in the control of pain in cancer survivors," reads the CDC's clarification letter.
"Our recommendations help clinicians badess the risk of inappropriate substance use, while ensuring that people with cancer do not suffer unnecessary and serious pain," said Robert Carlson, MD, NCCN's Executive Director. A press release.
However, at the NCCN's recent annual conference, Rene Rubin, MD, director of the Cancer Center at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, suggested that there is now another problem in obtaining opioids in patients with of cancer who need it: the fears of prescribers.
"Many of my colleagues will not write a script for painkillers, they tell patients to go to a pain center," she said. Medscape Medical News, adding that this is expensive and inconvenient for cancer patients.
Judith Paice, Ph.D., Nurse, Director of the Cancer Control Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, also echoed this observation: "Health professionals are increasingly concerned about prescribing opioids affected. "
In his new letter of clarification, the CDC stated that it "encourages physicians to continue to use their clinical judgment and base their treatment on what they know about their patients, including on the subject." use of opioids ".
Follow Nick Mulcahy from Medscape on Twitter. To learn more about Medscape Oncology, follow us on Twitter.
[ad_2]
Source link
