Abstract
Cancer pain, either tumor-related or treatment-related, is common among cancer survivors. The objective of this study was to quantify annual trends in utilization, cost, and patient cost shares of pain medications, overall and by drug class, among cancer survivors in the United States. Data were obtained from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) annually from 2008-2013. Cancer survivors, excluding survivors of nonmelanoma skin cancer, were identified using survey questions and clinical classification codes. Utilization, cost, and patient cost shares were obtained for the following classes of pain medications taken by survivors: non-opioids (NSAIDs, salicylates, non-narcotic analgesic combinations), opioids, narcotic analgesic combinations, and adjuvant analgesics (for neuropathic pain). Descriptive statistics were computed using appropriate statistical procedures for the MEPS with its unique sampling design. Out of 23.4 million cancer survivors in 2008, 40.8% took pain medication; in 2013, 43.9% of 24.8 million survivors did so. These percentages exceed those for patients without a history of cancer. The total number of prescriptions for pain medications prescribed to cancer survivors increased from 60.3 million in 2008 to 74.4 million in 2013. The number of prescriptions for non-opioids, opioids, and adjuvant analgesics increased from 14.3, 8.9 and 20.6 million, respectively, in 2008, to 19.0, 11.6 and 27.1million, respectively, in 2013. There were approximately 16.5 million prescriptions for narcotic analgesic combinations in both 2008 and 2013. The cost (not adjusted for inflation) of pain medication increased from $3.5 billion in 2008 to $5.6 billion in 2013. Overall, the patient cost share has decreased from 23.3% in 2008 to 17.0% in 2013. A high percentage of cancer survivors take pain medication for the disease or for treatment. A substantial share of the rise in the cost of pain medication for survivors is due to an increase in national spending on adjuvant analgesics.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
