Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy in Cancer Patients: An Underestimated Clinical Problem

The impact of both endogenous and exogenous opioids on the endocrine system has been known for many years. With the increased use of opioids in chronic pain treatment, the research focuses mainly on their effects on the endocrine system in patients with chronic non-malignant pain. Despite the wide dissemination of cancer, there has been little research on the possible effects of opioids on the endocrine system in cancer patients. For the growing number of cancer survivors and patients in long-term remission who take opioids, other aspects of endocrine disorders caused or exacerbated by opioids will have practical and clinical importance. Conversely, this problem may be less relevant for patients in active cancer treatment or in the advanced stage of disease. This article presents the available research on the effects of opioids on the endocrine system and the clinical consequences resulting from opioid use in cancer patients. Clinicians who use opioids in clinical practice should be aware of the existence of the endocrine symptoms of opioid therapy. There is still a need for more research in this area to maintain the best possible quality of life for cancer patients treated with opioid analgesics.