New combo may cut opioid use for cancer pain
NCT ID NCT05311774
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether adding duloxetine (a nerve pain drug) to tramadol (a painkiller) can better control chronic cancer pain and reduce the amount of tramadol needed. 400 adults with cancer pain who had not taken painkillers before were split into two groups: one received duloxetine plus tramadol, the other a placebo plus tramadol. The goal was to see if the combination leads to lower tramadol use while still managing pain effectively.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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400 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Finished
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Oct 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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20 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with cancer pain 1. age from 20-70 years old. 2. not receiving any type of analgesia before (opioid naïve, no adjuvants). Exclusion Criteria: 1. Difficult to be assessed for pain. 2. Any contraindication for duloxetine or tramadol.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Assiut University
Asyut, 71111, Egypt
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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