A Double‐Blind Study Comparing Two Single‐Dose Regimens of Ketorolac with Diclofenac in Pain Due to Cancer

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.