Potential Drug Interactions between Oral Antineoplastic Agents and Opioid Analgesics

Oral antineoplastic drugs use has been gaining more importance due to its multiple benefits and the introduction of new molecules with new mechanisms of action. Opioids are often conjugated with antineoplastic therapy, however, this association brings possible drug interactions. Cytochrome P450 is responsible for the metabolization of a great part of drugs on the market. Identifying, explaining, and assessing the severity of possible drug interactions between oral antineoplastic agents and opioid analgesics were the aims of this investigation. A cross-sectional observational study was developed. Drugs selected in FHNM, were combined one by one in the Micromedex database. Twenty-three interactions were found with different types of grades of evidence and severity, and six were explained. Procarbazine was the oral antineoplastic with the highest number of possible interactions, while the opioid was buprenorphine. It’s important to monitor drug interactions in cancer patients considering the serious consequences that may arise from these.