Nimesulide and diclofenac in the control of cancer-related pain. Comparison between oral and rectal administration

Abstract

64 patients with pain associated with advanced cancer were treated with either nimesulide or diclofenac as initial analgesia. Patients were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups: oral nimesulide 300 mg/day; oral diclofenac 150 mg/day; rectal nimesulide 400 mg/day; and rectal diclofenac 200 mg/day. After 1 week of treatment, both drugs provided an adequate degree of pain relief and allowed an increase in sleep duration. There were no significant differences in efficacy between the drugs or routes of administration. Fewer side effects were observed with nimesulide, giving this agent a better therapeutic index than the reference compound.