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Cochrane Analyzes Tramadol for Cancer Pain

Cochrane; 2017 May 16; Wiffen, Derry, Moore

Publish date:: May 30, 2017

Tramadol may provide pain relief in some adults with cancer pain, according to a recent Cochrane review of 10 studies involving more than 950 individuals. There was no evidence that it relieved such pain in children. Among the findings:

There is very low-quality evidence that tramadol is not as effective as morphine.
The likelihood that the effect will be substantially different is very high.
The place of tramadol in managing cancer pain and its role as step 2 of the WHO analgesic ladder is unclear.

Citation:

Wiffen P, Derry S, Moore R. Tramadol with or without paracetamol (acetaminophen) for cancer pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD012508. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012508.pub2.

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