Ketamine in cancer pain management

Background: The growing demand for new analgesics and neuromodulatory substances in general for the treatment of pain, makes it necessary to standardize their use. In the case of ketamine, most research revolves around its use in treating acute pain in medical emergencies. Objective: to carry out a review of the current scientific literature on the potentialities of ketamine in the treatment of cancer pain. Methods: a descriptive study was carried out, with a non-experimental, longitudinal design, which, through a documentary review on the subject of ketamine in the management of cancer pain, allowed the development of a systematic review of scientific articles published from 2010 to 2019. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology was applied, according to which the extraction, search and eligibility process of the articles was developed. Results: of a total of 250 articles found in the initial search, 6 were selected, considering the sample selection criteria. The ones that were most related to the output of articles were the overlap effect and the temporal effect. Positive responses were obtained by any route of administration of ketamine, except topical, a variant applied precisely in the largest study. Conclusion: according to the evidence analyzed in this study, the effectiveness of ketamine is not confirmed in three of the six studies evaluated. However, in subanesthetic doses, its use could still be considered for the management of cancer pain.