Successful Treatment with High Dose Transdermal Fentanyl Patch for Severe Cancer Pain in a Patient with Lung Cancer

A 60-year-old man was diagnosed with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. He refused treatment with a curative aim and was treated conservatively. Pain had developed on his shoulder and chest wall, which became worse as the cancer progressed. Although his pain initially appeared to be relieved with weak opioids and analgesics, it became more severe Strong opioids (transdermal fentanly patch and oxycodone), antidepressant or epidural block were introduced, However, the background pain became more intense and reached up to 8 similar to 9/10 on the visual analog scale (VAS). The dose of the transdermal fentanl patch was gradually increased to 600 mu g/hr, which resulted in a dramatic improvement in his pain (9/10 of VAS) to 3/10 for most of the time. We described the successful experience with a high dose transdermal fentanyl patch for cancer pain relief, which might be an alternative option for cancer patients suffering from severe pain.