[Assessing Patient Factors Influencing the Discontinuation of Opioids after Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy for Oral Cancer - A Retrospective Study].

Superselective intra-arterial chemoradiation therapy for oral cancer induces the complication of mucositis. Although the associated pain is controlled using opioids, major questions from patients in clinical practice are as follows:(1)the mean number of days from the completion of superselective intra-arterial chemoradiation therapy to the discontinuation of opioid administration, and(2)patient factors enabling the discontinuation of opioids. The purpose of this study was to clarify these points. A retrospective follow-up study was conducted from April 2016 to March 2017 on patients who underwent superselective intra-arterial chemoradiation therapy at our department of oral surgery. The patients were divided into 2 groups:one who discontinued opioids, and the other who did not. Clinical backgrounds and data were compared between the 2 groups. The mean number of days from the completion of superselective intra-arterial chemoradiation therapy to the discontinuation of opioid administration was 51±34.4 days. The absence of diabetes and deliria during treatment were determined as factors contributing to the discontinuation of opioids.