Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil can increase analgesic effect in refractory cancer pain

2109 patients were screened from the department of medical oncology, the first affiliated hospital of Anhui medical university in China between October of 2007 and October of 2008. Thirty-seven cases of cancer patients who had bad effect from anaesthetic drugs were received administration of intravenous flurbiprofen axetil with dose of 50 mg/5 ml/day. The pain score was evaluated for pre- and post- treatment by Pain Faces Scale criteria, and the side effects were also observed.Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil increased the analgesic effects. The total effective rate was 92%. The side effects, such as abdominal pain, alimentary tract bleeding which were found in using NSAIDs or constipation, nausea, vomit, sleepiness which were found in using opioid drugs did not be found.Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil could provide better analgesia effects and few side effects to patients with refractory cancer pain. It could also increase analgesia effects when combining with anesthetic drugs in treatment of moderate or severe pain, especially breakthrough pain, and suit to patients who can not take oral drugs for the reason of constipation and psychosomatic symptoms.Pain is a common problem in cancer patient. About one-third of patients being treated for cancer have pain. More than two-thirds of patients with advanced cancer have pain [1]. Controlling pain and managing symptoms are important goals of cancer treatment [2].Flurbiprofen is a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor used in clinic as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug [3]. Flurbiprofen axetil, an injectable prodrug of flurbiprofen [4], has been reported to be associated with a reduction postoperative pain [5,6], propofol injection pain [7,8], and in initial treated pain induced from cancer [9]. The role of flurbiprofen axetil are not yet clear in the routinely administration of refractory cancer pain. In the present study, we reported the role of intravenous flurbiprofen axetil in this area.Cancer pain cases whose pain