Opioid use and health care charges at the end of life in patients with metastatic cancer

Opioid use and health care charges during the final year of life in patients with metastatic cancer who received controlled-release oxycodone (CRO), transdermal fentanyl (TF), or controlled-release morphine sulfate (CRM) were examined in the following study. A total of 704 patients were identified who met study entry criteria; CRO, TF, or CRM was the first-received long-acting opioid (LAO) during the last year of life for 36% (N = 250), 29% (N = 203), and 36% (N = 251) of study subjects, respectively. On average, patients initiated LAO therapy three to four months before death. One-half of patients received less than 60 days of LAO therapy. Mean total health care charges in the final year of life were dollars 84,572 for patients receiving CRO, dollars 90,935 for patients receiving TF, and dollars 76,446 for patients receiving CRM. Patients receiving TF started LAO therapy closer to their date of death, and had significantly higher hospitalization charges than did patients receiving CRO and CRM.