Study objective: To compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of two single doses of ketorolac with diclofenac in acute cancer pain.
Design: Double-blind, randomized, clinical study.
Setting: Hospital-based clinical research center.
Subjects: One hundred eighty patients suffering acute, moderate, or severe cancer pain.
Interventions: A single intramuscular injection of ketorolac 10 or 30 mg or diclofenac 75 mg.
Measurements and main results: Pain intensity was assessed 30 minutes and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 hours after injection or until rescue drug administration. In approximately 70% of patients all treatments provided prompt sustained pain relief throughout the 6-hour observation period. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the analyzed efficacy measures among the three groups.
Conclusion: Intramuscular ketorolac 10 mg is adequate to relieve cancer pain, and is equivalent to ketorolac 30 mg and to diclofenac 75 mg.