Korean J Hosp Palliat Care.  2016 Dec;19(4):331-334. 10.14475/kjhpc.2016.19.4.331.

Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Agents for Management of Cold Sweating in Advanced Cancer Patients

• Choi HJ
• Song HN
• Kang JH

• KMID: 2362213
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2016.19.4.331

Abstract

PURPOSE
Advanced cancer may accompany cold sweat as paraneoplastic symptom. Few studies have been performed on the efficacy of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in advanced cancer patients who sweated without fever.
METHODS
To select study participants, medical records were retrospectively reviewed for patients who satisfied the following criteria: 1) incurable, advanced solid cancer; 2) Cold sweating of 4 or higher on the numeric rating scale (NRS) 4; 3) No evidence of infection or hypoglycemia; 4) No newly started opioid or anti-hormonal agents within one month; 5) NSAID prescription for the management of cold sweating and 6) Documented NRS information before and after NSAID administration.
RESULTS
A total of 13 patients were selected after excluding four patients due to lack of NRS information or fever. The mean age was 59 years old (range: 50~71), and nine patients (69%) were male. Bile duct cancer was the most common primary tumor followed by pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer and prostate cancer. The mean NRS of cold sweating dropped from baseline 6.5 (min-max: 4~10) to 1.9 at the follow-up assessment (min-max: 0~5). The mean follow-up period was 9.1 days (range: 2~30 days) from NSAID treatment to assessment.
CONCLUSION
NSAID was effective medication for management of sweating without fever in patients with advanced cancer.

Keyword

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents; Sweating; Hospices; Fever

MeSH Terms

Anti-Inflammatory Agents*
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
Bile Duct Neoplasms
Fever
Follow-Up Studies
Hospices
Humans
Hypoglycemia
Male
Medical Records
Pancreatic Neoplasms
Prescriptions
Prostatic Neoplasms
Retrospective Studies
Stomach Neoplasms
Sweat*
Sweating*
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal