What are the commonly used injectable drugs for treating bone cancer

Bone cancer pain is a chronic pain with a unique and complex mechanism. It is related to neuropathic pain and inflammatory pain. Severe pain is extremely detrimental to the recovery of bone cancer patients. Pain relief can be achieved by taking drugs. So what are the commonly used injectable drugs for the treatment of bone cancer? Let's take a look.

1. Opioids

Opioids are a type of analgesic commonly used in clinical practice and are the basis for analgesic treatment of bone cancer. They mainly include codeine, dihydrocodeine, hydromorphone, oxycodone, methadone, morphine, fentanyl, pethidine, etc. However, the therapeutic dose of opioids is large, and long-term use can cause side effects such as drowsiness, constipation, tolerance, and addiction.

2. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

The new cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) specific inhibitor has anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects. In the animal model of bone cancer pain, short-term use of this drug can slightly relieve severe bone pain, and long-term use can also reduce the destructive effects of tumor tissue and osteoclasts.

3. Bisphosphonates

Bisphosphonates were originally used to treat hypercalcemia caused by malignant tumors. These drugs can directly inhibit osteoclast activity and increase the pH value of the local microenvironment of tumor bone, thereby avoiding the activation of acid-sensitive ion channels. When analgesics and radiotherapy are ineffective in treating bone cancer pain, bisphosphonates can be considered.