ReviewCurrent cancer drug targets2025
Controversial Role of Opioids: From Pain Control to Cancer Recurrence in Breast Cancer.
Review in Current cancer drug targets, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- FGFR4 and HER2 co-expression is associated with the proinflammatory tumor microenvironment in HR + breast cancer.Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan) · 2026Article
- Role of tRNA-Derived Fragments and Their Modifications in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Opioids are widely used for pain management in breast cancer patients; however, their influence on tumor progression and recurrence remains controversial. Opioid receptors-mu (MOR), delta (DOR), and kappa (KOR)-play diverse roles in cancer biology, modulating tumor growth, immune responses, and angiogenesis. MOR activation is associated with increased proliferation, Epithelial- Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), and immunosuppression, contributing to an aggressive tumor phenotype. Conversely, KOR exhibits tumor-suppressive properties, reducing angiogenesis via VEGF inhibition. Emerging preclinical evidence suggests that opioids, particularly morphine, may facilitate breast cancer progression by enhancing cancer cell migration, angiogenesis, and immune evasion. Genetic variations in opioid receptor pathways, such as the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism, further complicate the opioid-cancer relationship, demonstrating population-dependent effects on patient outcomes. In contrast, tramadol has shown potential immune-protective effects by preserving Natural Killer (NK) cell function and inhibiting adrenergic signaling; fentanyl and sufentanil exhibit variable impacts on tumor biology, necessitating further investigation. Clinical studies, however, remain inconclusive regarding opioids' direct contribution to breast cancer recurrence, highlighting the need for targeted research. Opioid-sparing analgesic strategies, including multimodal pain management, regional anesthesia, and immunomodulatory agents, offer promising alternatives to mitigate potential oncogenic risks while ensuring adequate pain relief. Future studies integrating single-cell transcriptomics and tumor microenvironment analyses will be critical in elucidating the molecular impact of opioids in breast cancer. Personalized pain management approaches tailored to genetic and clinical profiles may optimize oncological outcomes while preserving analgesic efficacy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
40539344What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.