Role of Preoperative Tapentadol in Reduction of Peri-operative Analgesics Requirements After Breast…

Randomized trialJournal of cancer & allied specialties· Mar 2026

Role of Preoperative Tapentadol in Reduction of Peri-operative Analgesics Requirements After Breast Conservative Surgery in Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Yusra Saleem, Allah Ditta Ashfaq, Syed Raza Mehdi, Asad Aleem

Perioperative MedicineRandomized trial

Pre-emptive tapentadol cut intraoperative morphine use during breast surgery

Role of Preoperative Tapentadol in Reduction of Peri-operative Analgesics Requirements After Breast Conservative Surgery in Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Yusra Saleem … Asad Aleem

Journal of cancer & allied specialties · Mar 2026

Background

Tapentadol, a centrally acting μ-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, has shown promise in providing potent analgesia with fewer opioid-related side effects.

Purpose

This study evaluated its role as a pre-emptive analgesic in cancer patients undergoing breast conservation surgery.

Methods

A prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted on 70 American Society of Anesthesiologists class II adult females, scheduled for conservative breast surgery, randomized into two groups after informed consent.

n = 70 American Society of

Results

tapentadol patients needed much less morphine during surgery

1.11mg

Tapentadol

3.36mg

Placebo

More results

Only 13 (37.1%) patients in the tapentadol group required intraoperative morphine compared to 31 (88.6%) in the placebo group ( p < 0.001).

Postoperative pain scores were lower in the tapentadol group at 1 hour (1.89 ± 0.83 vs 2.46 ± 1.15, p = 0.020) and 3 hours (1.06 ± 0.24 vs 1.23 ± 0.43, p = 0.042).

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Conclusion

Pre-emptive tapentadol administration significantly reduced perioperative morphine use and improved postoperative pain scores at certain time points. However, the increase in time to first rescue analgesia was not statistically significant.

Role of Preoperative Tapentadol in Reduction of Peri-operative Analgesics Requirements After Breast Conservative Surgery in Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Role of Preoperative Tapentadol in Reduction of Peri-operative Analgesics Requirements After Breast Conservative Surgery in Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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