Cancer-related chronic pain: Investigation of the novel analgesic drug candidate cebranopadol in a randomized, double-blind, noninferiority trial.

Background: Cancer-related pain is a growing health problem given the increasing life expectancy of cancer patients. Opioids are commonly used to treat cancer-related pain, but carry the risk of severe side effects, limiting their use. Cebranopadol is a first-in-class drug candidate, combining nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide and opioid peptide receptor agonism.