Dose titration of sublingual fentanyl, in relation to transdermal fentanyl dosing in cancer patients

Despite stable background pain, most cancer patients suffer 3-4 episodes of breakthrough pain daily. Aim of the present study was the evaluation of potential correlation between effective doses of sublingual fentanyl citrate, administered for controlling breakthrough pain, with transdermal fentanyl used for background pain. Fifty-six cancer patients were prospectivelly recruited. All patients were suffering episodes of breakthrough pain and managed with transdermal fentanyl 25-300μg/h for their background pain.