Pain is a common symptom among cancer patients and a large percentage of cancer patients are treated with opioids to control this side effect. Some cancer therapies are very rigorous and require opioid analgesics on an ongoing basis to treat the pain resulting from aggressive treatment. Many cancer survivors also report having low energy, depression, anxiety and impaired sexual function as a result of their treatment. It is also known that cancer treatment, such as radiation to the brain, is associated with long term endocrine abnormalities, including hypogonadism and hypothyroidism, that may cause some of these symptoms. However, the relationship between long-term use of pain medication and hormonal disruption is still not well-understood in female cancer survivors.
Information from males was discussed in an older article in the journal, Cancer, by authors, Arun Rajagopal, MD, Rena Vassilopoulou-Sellin, J. Lynn Palmer, PhD, Guddi Kaur, RN, BSN, and Eduardo Bruera, MD, entitled, “Symptomatic Hypogonadism in Male Survivors of Cancer with Chronic Exposure to Opioids.” In the article, the authors explore the relationship between the chronic consumption of oral opioids during and after cancer treatment and the potential for hypogonadism (reduced testosterone levels) and whether or not hypogonadism is associated with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, depression and sexual dysfunction.
In an effort to prove the prevalence of central hypogonadism and associated symptoms of sexual dysfunction, depression, anxiety and fatigue, cancer patients selected for the study were all adult males, who had been cancer free for a year, and taking high does of opioids. The control population was selected based on matching diagnosis and treatment, albeit they had not consumed any opioids in the last 12 months. Patients completed the Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACT-G/FACIT-F) and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) questionnaires. The patients also had serum samples taken to monitor their testosterone levels.
The results of the study showed that testosterone levels in the study group were significantly lower than what was found in the control group. Sexual dysfunction was significantly higher in the opioid group and reports of depression and fatigue were also much higher in the study group. Reported anxiety between the two groups was insignificant. Thus, the results suggest that chronic consumption of opioids leads to clinically significant central hypogonadism, which also may lead to greater levels of depression, fatigue and sexual impairment.
The results of this study and potential implications for the quality of life in cancer patients is critical. Hypogonadism can have consequences that go beyond poor libido and affect other areas of men’s lives, including fertility. Unfortunately, there are a lack of studies examine the relationship between opioid use in female cancer survivors and endocrine health. As chemotherapy and radiation may already compromise a woman’s reproductive ability, this information would provide health care providers with critical information regarding how to treat two significant quality-of-life issues in young female cancer survivors: reproductive health and pain management.