New research shows that between 2013 and 2017 the national opioid prescribing rate declined by 20.7 percent among oncologists, prompting concern that cancer patients and survivors are not getting the pain medication they need.
For the study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers used data from the CMS Part D prescriber data set for all physicians between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2017.
They found that the national opioid-prescribing rate declined by 20.7 percent among oncologists and by 22.8 percent among prescribers who aren't oncologists. They also found that 43 states had a decrease in opioid prescribing among oncologists during the study period, and in five states, opioid prescribing decreased more among oncologists than prescribers who weren't oncologists.
"Given similar declines in opioid prescribing among oncologists and nononcologists, there is concern that opioid-prescribing guidelines intended for the noncancer population are being applied inappropriately to patients with cancer and survivors," study authors concluded.