Management of acute cancer-related pain in a patient with opioid use disorder: a case report

Background Managing cancer-related pain in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) poses significant challenges. We present this case of an OUD patient with severe intractable pain from metastatic testicular cancer to illustrate one approach to effective pain management. Case presentation A 31-year-old non-Hispanic White man with OUD experienced acute intractable cancer-related pain that was ultimately controlled with > 4700 daily oral morphine equivalents of patient-controlled fentanyl analgesia. He successfully weaned to oral methadone with oxycodone for breakthrough pain. Conclusions Early palliative care involvement can facilitate effective pain control in patients with cancer and OUD.