Rapid Buprenorphine Induction for Cancer Pain in Pregnancy.

Abstract

Most patients with cancer-related pain are managed using opioids; cancer-related pain in the setting of pregnancy can be challenging to address owing to risk to the fetus associated with <i>in utero</i> opioid exposure. Buprenorphine is a unique opioid with potential benefits over other opioids for use in pregnancy and is often used for management of cancer-related pain in nonpregnant adults. There are limited data on cancer-related pain management in pregnant patients and no data supporting the use of buprenorphine for cancer-related pain in pregnant patients. This case describes a rapid buprenorphine induction using a microdosing regimen in a pregnant patient and highlights the potential of buprenorphine for cancer-related pain in this population.