Why opioid pain treatment varies across cancer care
Variability in Opioid Prescribing Across the Cancer Care Continuum: A Multi-Level Analysis
['FUNDING_R01'] · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · NIH-11257261
This project looks at why cancer patients get different opioid pain medicines at different points in care and plans improvements to make pain treatment more consistent.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | DANA-FARBER CANCER INST (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BOSTON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11257261 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze Medicare prescription and healthcare records to map how opioid prescribing differs after surgery, during active treatment, in survivorship, and at the end of life. They will link patient data to information about physicians, clinics, and health systems to find which doctor-, practice-, or system-level factors drive those differences. The team will identify patient groups and communities most likely to receive too little or inconsistent opioid pain control. Based on these findings, they will design a multi-level intervention aimed at improving equitable pain management for future testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This work is most relevant to U.S. adults with cancer who are covered by Medicare during post-operative care, active treatment, survivorship, or end-of-life care.
Not a fit: People not covered by Medicare (for example, younger adults with private insurance, uninsured patients, or children) whose care isn't captured in the datasets may not directly benefit from the project's findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to fairer, better-managed pain control for cancer patients by reducing undertreatment and standardizing appropriate opioid use.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown uneven opioid prescribing for cancer patients, but comprehensive population-level analyses across all care phases and multi-level intervention designs remain relatively limited.
Where this research is happening
BOSTON, UNITED STATES
- DANA-FARBER CANCER INST — BOSTON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: ENZINGER, ANDREA C — DANA-FARBER CANCER INST
- Study coordinator: ENZINGER, ANDREA C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Cancer Pain Management, Cancer Patient, Cancer Treatment