Celecoxib versus parecoxib versus oxycodone in pain control for transcatheter chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract

509 Background: Abdominal pain is one of the most common side effects of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Previous studies reported that perioperative controlled-release oxycodone (CRO) intake or administration of parecoxib resulted in adequate pain control after TACE. However, there are currently no studies comparing opioids with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in controlling postoperative pain. Therefore, we conducted a clinical trial to compare the analgesic effect and safety among celecoxib (oral COX-2 inhibitor), parecoxib (injectable COX-2 inhibitor), and CRO (oral opioids) in patients undergoing TACE. Methods: The study was a prospective, randomized, paralleled trial in which 213 patients were enrolled between September 2016 and March 2019. Patients were randomly assigned at the ratio of 1:1:1 to receive celecoxib, parecoxib or CRO 1 h before TACE (T0) and once every 12 h for 2 days after TACE. Pain level, morphine consumption and adverse events were evaluated and compared among the three regimens. Results: Highest incidence of pain occurred within the first 12 hours (T12) after TACE. Analysis of pain control showed no significant difference among the mean highest pain scores, percentage distribution of pain categories and mean morphine consumption in the three groups at T0, T12, T24, T36, and T48. At T24, 11 patients (15.7%) in oxycodone group had fever, which was higher than parecoxib regimen (1 patient [1.5%], P = 0.003). At T36, 13 patients (18.6%) in oxycodone regimen had fever, which was higher than celecoxib regimen (2 patients [2.9%], P = 0.003) and parecoxib regimen (1 patient [1.5%], P < 0.001). At T48, 11 patients (15.7%) in oxycodone regimen had fever, which was higher than celecoxib regimen (2 patients [2.9%], P = 0.010) and parecoxib regimen (0 patients, P = 0.001). Conclusions: The results suggested that patients obtained celecoxib, parecoxib or CRO once every 12 hours can have the same level of analgesic effect during each time period of TACE. However, body temperature balance in oxycodone regimen was significantly worse than celecoxib regimen and parecoxib regimen. Clinical trial information: NCT03059238.