Assessing and managing opiate-induced constipation in adults with cancer.

Cancer Control 3 pation among persons with cancer is unknown,some studies have investigated patients receiving hospice care and who are receiving active curative treatment. The range of prevalence in hospitalized patients receiving cancer treatment varies from 70% to 100%.2-4 Studies of patients with advanced cancer who are receiving hospice care show that the prevalence of constipation ranges between 23% and 84%.2,3,5-9 A series of studies9-11 conducted in a large Florida hospice evaluated opiate-induced constipation and found that 40% to 64% of hospice patients with cancer have been found to have constipation. However, the number was lower when the data were obtained from a chart audit (40%)9 and higher when the researchers prospectively interviewed patients about their symptoms (63% to 64%).10,11 Walsh6 found constipation to be the most common side effect of morphine among 688 hospice patients, with a prevalence of 48%. The finding of constipation is relevant because studies have shown that it is negatively related to overall quality of life (r = –.38, P<.001).12