Outcomes in patients with cancer following opioid initiation in Japan: an exploratory study

This cross-sectional study explored outcomes in patients with cancer following opioid initiation (maximum observation period: 6 months), based on an analysis of laxative prescription patterns for opioid-induced constipation (OIC) using the Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd., a nationwide acute care hospital claims database in Japan. Of 26,939 patients included, 16,214 (60.2%) developed OIC, defined as the prescription of a laxative on or after the fourth day following the initiation of opioid therapy. At baseline, the average age was 69.3 years, with 58.0% being male patients. Overall, 42.7% of patients were hospitalized at the time of opioid initiation (OIC subgroup: 51.1%; non-OIC subgroup: 30.1%). The majority of patients (53.9%) had observation data for less than 6 months (OIC subgroup: 61.8%; non-OIC subgroup: 42.0%). Although there were disparities in patient backgrounds and observation periods, the total healthcare costs incurred were approximately ¥2,400,000, with ¥2,800,000 in the OIC subgroup and ¥1,800,000 in the non-OIC subgroup. Overall, these results highlight the importance of implementing appropriate OIC management strategies in Japan. However, it is noteworthy that the sequence of events between OIC onset and clinical outcomes remains unclear.