Wang Y, Xun X, Luan WY, Zhang Z, Xu ZX, Lin SX, Miao YD. Hyperthermia combined with opioid therapy: Enhancing cancer pain management and reducing surgical stress in gastrointestinal cancer patients. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(3): 101060 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i3.101060]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Yan-Dong Miao, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Cancer Center, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, The Second Medical College of Binzhou Medical University, No. 717 Jinbu Street, Muping District, Yantai 264100, Shandong Province, China. miaoyd_22@bzmc.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Yue Wang, Cancer Center, People’s Hospital of Yuxi City, Yuxi 653100, Yunnan Province, China
Xin Xun, Department of Oncology, 920th Hospital of People’s Liberation Army Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming 650118, Yunnan Province, China
Wen-Yu Luan, Zheng Zhang, Zhen-Xi Xu, Si-Xiang Lin, Yan-Dong Miao, Department of Cancer Center, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, The Second Medical College of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264100, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Yue Wang and Xin Xun.
Co-corresponding authors: Si-Xiang Lin and Yan-Dong Miao.
Author contributions: Wang Y and Xun X performed literature retrieval, writing-original draft, and contributed equally to this work; Luan WY and Zhang Z performed literature retrieval and data analysis; Xu ZX prepared software and figures; Miao YD and Lin SX contributed to conceptualization, writing-review and editing, funding acquisition, and project administration, they contributed equally as co-corresponding authors; and all authors approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Shandong Province Medical and Health Science and Technology Development Plan Project, No. 202203030713; and Science and Technology Program of Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, No. YTFY2022KYQD06.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yan-Dong Miao, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Cancer Center, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, The Second Medical College of Binzhou Medical University, No. 717 Jinbu Street, Muping District, Yantai 264100, Shandong Province, China. miaoyd_22@bzmc.edu.cn
Received: September 3, 2024 Revised: January 17, 2025 Accepted: February 7, 2025 Published online: March 27, 2025 Processing time: 173 Days and 18.4 Hours
Abstract
In this article, we evaluate the findings of the study by Qian et al, which explores the efficacy of combining hyperthermia with opioid therapy for enhanced cancer pain management in patients with middle and late-stage gastrointestinal tumors. The study undertakes a retrospective analysis comparing traditional opioid therapy to an integrated approach of hyperthermia and opioids across 70 patients, highlighting significant benefits in pain control, reduction of opioid dosage, and minimization of adverse reactions. In our article, we not only discuss these findings but also emphasize the broader implications for clinical practice, particularly in enhancing patient outcomes through innovative pain management strategies. We advocate for further research to establish more robust data supporting this approach and to explore the mechanistic insights that enable these benefits. This discussion reflects on the potential paradigm shift in managing debilitating cancer-related pain, urging a reevaluation of current practices to incorporate these findings effectively.
Core Tip: This article highlights a novel combination therapy involving hyperthermia and opioid treatment for managing cancer-related pain in gastrointestinal cancer patients. The approach has shown promising results in enhancing pain control, reducing opioid dosage, and minimizing adverse reactions. The integration of hyperthermia not only improves pain management but also aids in reducing surgical stress and accelerating recovery. The article advocates for further research to fully understand the mechanisms at play and to explore broader clinical applications, potentially setting a new standard in oncological care.
