MDLinxYale Study Finds Reduced Opioid Prescribing for Some Patients with Cancer

ℹ️ Observational Association Only Evidence

A retrospective analysis of 10,232 Connecticut patients diagnosed with solid tumor malignancies from 2016 to 2020 documented modest overall declines in opioid prescribing, with steeper drops among patients reporting no pain across cancer stages and treatment types.

Clinical Considerations

• Predicted probability of new opioid prescribing fell from 71.1% in 2016 to 64.6% in 2020 across all patients
• Prescribing declined 41% in patients reporting no pain; rates remained stable for those reporting any pain
• New prescribing among metastatic patients reporting no pain dropped from 61.6% to 36.1% over the study window
• Patients undergoing surgery and those with metastatic disease showed approximately 8% declines in new prescribing, with additional opioid use remaining stable

Practice Applications

• Recognize that prescribing patterns have shifted toward symptom-triggered rather than preventive opioid initiation
• Integrate structured pain assessment at each oncology encounter to capture under-reported symptoms
• Monitor for undertreatment in metastatic and post-surgical populations where pain trajectories evolve
• Interpret these trends as descriptive of practice change, not as evidence of optimal prescribing thresholds