A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY COMPARING 2 SINGLE-DOSE REGIMENS OF KETOROLAC WITH DICLOFENAC IN PAIN DUE TO CANCER

Study Objective. To compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of two s ingle doses of ketorolac with diclofenac in acute cancer pain. Design. Double-blind, randomized, clinical study. Setting. Hospital-based cli nical research center. Subjects. One hundred eighty patients suffering acute, moderate, or severe cancer pain. Interventions. A single intra muscular injection of ketorolac 10 or 30 mg or diclofenac 75 mg. Measu rements and Main Results. Pain intensity was assessed 30 minutes and 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 hours after injection or until rescue drug adminis tration. In approximately 70% of patients all treatments provided prom pt sustained pain relief throughout the B-hour observation period. The re were no statistically significant differences in any of the analyze d efficacy measures among the three groups. Conclusion. Intramuscular ketorolac 10 mg is adequate to relieve cancer pain, and is equivalent to ketorolac 30 mg and to diclofenac 75 mg.