One in 10 Undergoing Early Cancer Surgery Have New Persistent Opioid Use
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2025 -- More than one in 10 veterans undergoing surgery for early-stage cancer develop new persistent opioid use, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in Cancer.
Marilyn M. Schapira, M.D., M.P.H., from the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined the rates of coprescription of benzodiazepine and opioid medications and new persistent opioid use after surgical treatment of early‐stage cancer in a retrospective cohort study involving a U.S. veteran population. Participants were 9,213 opioid-naive persons aged 21 years and older with a new diagnosis of stage 0 to III cancer.
The researchers found that coprescription of benzodiazepines and opioids occurred in 366 patients (4.0 percent), and new persistent opioid use occurred in 981 patients (10.6 percent). Individuals in the highest quartile versus no opioid exposure had increased days with coprescription of benzodiazepines and opioids in a linear model adjusting for patient, clinical, and geographic factors (mean difference, 1.0). A greater risk for new persistent opioid use was seen in a discrete time survival analysis for persons in the highest quartile of morphine milligram equivalents exposure compared with none (hazard ratio, 1.6).
"Minimizing opioid exposure associated with cancer treatment while providing effective pain control will decrease long-term health risks among cancer survivors," Schapira said in a statement. "This is important as many patients are living longer after a cancer diagnosis and treatment."
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
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