Intraoperative Methadone for the Management of Postoperative Pain in Patients With Head and Neck Cancers
This is not medical advice. AI-assisted translation — inaccuracies may occur. Always verify the original and consult your oncologist before taking any steps.
About the trial
This phase IV trial compares how well methadone plus standard fentanyl given during surgery (intraoperative) works compared to intraoperative standard fentanyl alone in managing pain after surgery (postoperative) among patients with head and neck cancers. For most head and neck cancers, the standard treatment is surgery to remove the cancer followed by surgical reconstruction, which often requires tissue harvested from another part of the body-known as a "free flap tissue transfer". These procedures are highly complex, demand a two-surgeon team, and often take many hours to complete. The combination of multiple operative sites and extent of the surgery contributes to significant postoperative pain. Methadone is not yet used in the head and neck population but has been utilized in other subspecialties like spine and cardiac surgery. The benefits of methadone may include improved pain control in the first 72 hours postoperatively requiring less opioids postoperatively and improvement in overall pain scores. Giving intraoperative methadone plus standard fentanyl may work better than fentanyl alone in managing postoperative pain among patients with head and neck cancers.
Original English text from ClinicalTrials.gov
Who can (and can't) join
✓ Qualifies
- •Wiek 18-89 lat
- •Potwierdzony biopsją rak głowy i szyi (jamy ustnej, gardła, krtani)
- •Planowana operacja usunięcia nowotworu z rekonstrukcją lub bez
- •Operacja przewidywanego czasu trwania powyżej 4 godzin
✗ Disqualifies
- •Brak zgody na udział w badaniu lub niepełnoletność
- •Stosowanie długodziałających opioidów
- •Inne przewlekłe dolegliwości bólowe leczone opioidami (np. ból pleców)
- •Podejrzenie bieżącego używania narkotyków (z wyjątkiem marihuany)
- •Alergia na metadon lub ciężkie problemy z oddychaniem
- •Jednoczesne stosowanie leków interferujących z metadonem
Simplified criteria — AI translation
Trial details
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 89 Years
- Last updated (source)
- October 5, 2026
- Sex
- No restrictions
Therapies / drugs in trial
Locations (1)
OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Portland, United States
Trial contact
Ryan N. Hellums
Ryan N. Hellums
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Contact information from ClinicalTrials.gov. Contact in English.
Share this trial
Data from ClinicalTrials.gov. AI-assisted translation, last sync: 10/6/2026.
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