Journal of Surgery

| Peer-Reviewed |

A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy and Receiving Peri-Operative Naloxegol or Alvimopan: Comparison of Length of Stay

Received: 27 August 2018    Accepted: 10 September 2018    Published: 12 October 2018
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

Alvimopan is a µ-opioid receptor antagonist used in the post-operative period to decrease rates of post-operative ileus (POI) following radical cystectomy (RC) and thereby shorten length of stay (LOS). Naloxegol is a much less expensive drug of the same class that has yet to be studied for prevention of POI in the peri-operative period. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the differences in LOS and development of POI in patients post-RC who take alvimopan versus those who take naloxegol, with the hope that drug efficacy can be evaluated against the significant difference in cost burden between the two drugs. The study population included all adult patients between 18–89 years of age with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy with urostomy at University of Colorado Hospital. Those patients who received usual post-operative care as well as either alvimopan or naloxegol between September 2011 and December 2017 were selected for analysis. Patients who did not take either medication or were switched from one drug to the other were excluded from the study. A zero-truncated binomial regression analysis was used to analyze differences in length of stay in patients who received alvimopan versus those who received naloxegol. Additionally, the incidence of post-operative ileus was compared between treatment groups. 130 patients who underwent RC and received either alvimopan or naloxegol were included in the study: 75 (58%) received alvimopan and 55 (42%) received naloxegol. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. There was no significant difference in the length of stay between patients who received alvimopan and patients who received naloxegol after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, length of surgical time, or stage of disease (p = 0.41). There was no significant between the two drugs for development of POI (p = 0.85). Development of POI was significantly associated with a longer LOS (p = 0.007). The analysis showed that naloxegol was comparable to alvimopan when it came to length of hospital stay following RC. Therefore, naloxegol may be offered as a less expensive, effective alternative to alvimopan.

DOI 10.11648/j.js.20180605.14
Published in Journal of Surgery (Volume 6, Issue 5, October 2018)
Page(s) 129-134
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Alvimopan, Naloxegol, Post-operative Ileus, Length of Stay, µ-opioid Receptor Antagonist, Radical Cystectomy

References
[1] Lee, C. T. et al. Alvimopan Accelerates Gastrointestinal Recovery After Radical Cystectomy: A Multicenter Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Eur. Urol. 66, 265–272 (2014).
[2] Kraft, M., MacLaren, R., Du, W. & Owens, G. Alvimopan (Entereg) for the Management Of Postoperative Ileus in Patients Undergoing Bowel Resection. Pharm. Ther. 35, 44–49 (2010).
[3] Delaney, C. P. et al. Phase III trial of alvimopan, a novel, peripherally acting, mu opioid antagonist, for postoperative ileus after major abdominal surgery. Dis. Colon Rectum 48, 1114–1125; discussion 1125–1126; author reply 1127–1129 (2005).
[4] Viscusi, E. R. et al. Alvimopan, a peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist, compared with placebo in postoperative ileus after major abdominal surgery: results of a randomized, double-blind, controlled study. Surg. Endosc. 20, 64–70 (2006).
[5] Wolff, B. G. et al. Alvimopan, a novel, peripherally acting mu opioid antagonist: results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial of major abdominal surgery and postoperative ileus. Ann. Surg. 240, 728–734; discussion 734–735 (2004).
[6] Ludwig, K. et al. Gastrointestinal tract recovery in patients undergoing bowel resection: results of a randomized trial of alvimopan and placebo with a standardized accelerated postoperative care pathway. Arch. Surg. Chic. Ill 1960 143, 1098–1105 (2008).
[7] Büchler, M. W. et al. Clinical trial: alvimopan for the management of post-operative ileus after abdominal surgery: results of an international randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled clinical study. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 28, 312–325 (2008).
[8] ENTEREG® (alvimopan) | Official Site. Available at: https://www.merckconnect.com/entereg/overview.html. (Accessed: 5th April 2018)
[9] Kauf, T. L. et al. Alvimopan, a Peripherally Acting μ-Opioid Receptor Antagonist, is Associated with Reduced Costs after Radical Cystectomy: Economic Analysis of a Phase 4 Randomized, Controlled Trial. J. Urol. 191, 1721–1727 (2014).
[10] Cui, Y., Chen, H., Qi, L., Zu, X. & Li, Y. Effect of alvimopan on accelerates gastrointestinal recovery after radical cystectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int. J. Surg. Lond. Engl. 25, 1–6 (2016).
[11] Earnshaw, S. R. et al. Economic Impact of Alvimopan Considering Varying Definitions of Postoperative Ileus. J. Am. Coll. Surg. 221, 941–950 (2015).
[12] Sultan, S., Coles, B. & Dahm, P. Alvimopan for recovery of bowel function after radical cystectomy. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 5, CD012111 (2017).
[13] K Dodson, PharmD & Clark Lyda, Pharm D. Average Wholesale Price (AWP) of Alvimopan and Naloxegol. (2018).
[14] MOVANTIK® (naloxegol) | Opioid Induced Constipation Treatment. Available at: https://www.movantik.com/home.html. (Accessed: 5th April 2018)
[15] Nee, J. et al. Efficacy of Treatments for Opioid-induced Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. Off. Clin. Pract. J. Am. Gastroenterol. Assoc. (2018). doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2018.01.021
[16] Halawi, H. et al. Effects of naloxegol on whole gut transit in opioid-naïve healthy subjects receiving codeine: A randomized, controlled trial. Neurogastroenterol. Motil. Off. J. Eur. Gastrointest. Motil. Soc. (2018). doi:10.1111/nmo.13298
[17] Grønlund, D. et al. The impact of naloxegol on anal sphincter function - Using a human experimental model of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction. Eur. J. Pharm. Sci. Off. J. Eur. Fed. Pharm. Sci. 117, 187–192 (2018).
[18] Manger, J. P. et al. Alvimopan: A cost-effective tool to decrease cystectomy length of stay. Cent. Eur. J. Urol. 67, 335–341 (2014).
[19] Tobis, S. et al. Effect of alvimopan on return of bowel function after robot-assisted radical cystectomy. J. Laparoendosc. Adv. Surg. Tech. A 24, 693–697 (2014).
[20] Vora, A. A. et al. Alvimopan provides rapid gastrointestinal recovery without nasogastric tube decompression after radical cystectomy and urinary diversion. Can. J. Urol. 19, 6293–6298 (2012).
[21] Kim, S. P. et al. Population-based trends in urinary diversion among patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. BJU Int. 112, 478–484 (2013).
[22] Clark, P. E. et al. Radical cystectomy in the elderly: comparison of clincal outcomes between younger and older patients. Cancer 104, 36–43 (2005).
[23] Schmid, M. et al. Evidence from the ‘PROspective MulticEnTer RadIcal Cystectomy Series 2011 (PROMETRICS 2011)’ study: how are preoperative patient characteristics associated with urinary diversion type after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer? Ann. Surg. Oncol. 22, 1032–1042 (2015).
Author Information
  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, USA; School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA

  • Department of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Department of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

  • Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aurora, USA

  • Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, USA

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Taylor Goodstein, Bryn Launer, Sharon White, Madison Lyon, Nicholas George, et al. (2018). A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy and Receiving Peri-Operative Naloxegol or Alvimopan: Comparison of Length of Stay. Journal of Surgery, 6(5), 129-134. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20180605.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Taylor Goodstein; Bryn Launer; Sharon White; Madison Lyon; Nicholas George, et al. A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy and Receiving Peri-Operative Naloxegol or Alvimopan: Comparison of Length of Stay. J. Surg. 2018, 6(5), 129-134. doi: 10.11648/j.js.20180605.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Taylor Goodstein, Bryn Launer, Sharon White, Madison Lyon, Nicholas George, et al. A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy and Receiving Peri-Operative Naloxegol or Alvimopan: Comparison of Length of Stay. J Surg. 2018;6(5):129-134. doi: 10.11648/j.js.20180605.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.js.20180605.14,
      author = {Taylor Goodstein and Bryn Launer and Sharon White and Madison Lyon and Nicholas George and Kailynn DeRonde and Michelle Burke and Colin O’Donnell and Clark Lyda and Tyree H. Kiser and Shandra Wilson},
      title = {A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy and Receiving Peri-Operative Naloxegol or Alvimopan: Comparison of Length of Stay},
      journal = {Journal of Surgery},
      volume = {6},
      number = {5},
      pages = {129-134},
      doi = {10.11648/j.js.20180605.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20180605.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.js.20180605.14},
      abstract = {Alvimopan is a µ-opioid receptor antagonist used in the post-operative period to decrease rates of post-operative ileus (POI) following radical cystectomy (RC) and thereby shorten length of stay (LOS). Naloxegol is a much less expensive drug of the same class that has yet to be studied for prevention of POI in the peri-operative period. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the differences in LOS and development of POI in patients post-RC who take alvimopan versus those who take naloxegol, with the hope that drug efficacy can be evaluated against the significant difference in cost burden between the two drugs. The study population included all adult patients between 18–89 years of age with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy with urostomy at University of Colorado Hospital. Those patients who received usual post-operative care as well as either alvimopan or naloxegol between September 2011 and December 2017 were selected for analysis. Patients who did not take either medication or were switched from one drug to the other were excluded from the study. A zero-truncated binomial regression analysis was used to analyze differences in length of stay in patients who received alvimopan versus those who received naloxegol. Additionally, the incidence of post-operative ileus was compared between treatment groups. 130 patients who underwent RC and received either alvimopan or naloxegol were included in the study: 75 (58%) received alvimopan and 55 (42%) received naloxegol. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. There was no significant difference in the length of stay between patients who received alvimopan and patients who received naloxegol after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, length of surgical time, or stage of disease (p = 0.41). There was no significant between the two drugs for development of POI (p = 0.85). Development of POI was significantly associated with a longer LOS (p = 0.007). The analysis showed that naloxegol was comparable to alvimopan when it came to length of hospital stay following RC. Therefore, naloxegol may be offered as a less expensive, effective alternative to alvimopan.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy and Receiving Peri-Operative Naloxegol or Alvimopan: Comparison of Length of Stay
    AU  - Taylor Goodstein
    AU  - Bryn Launer
    AU  - Sharon White
    AU  - Madison Lyon
    AU  - Nicholas George
    AU  - Kailynn DeRonde
    AU  - Michelle Burke
    AU  - Colin O’Donnell
    AU  - Clark Lyda
    AU  - Tyree H. Kiser
    AU  - Shandra Wilson
    Y1  - 2018/10/12
    PY  - 2018
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20180605.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.js.20180605.14
    T2  - Journal of Surgery
    JF  - Journal of Surgery
    JO  - Journal of Surgery
    SP  - 129
    EP  - 134
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-0930
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20180605.14
    AB  - Alvimopan is a µ-opioid receptor antagonist used in the post-operative period to decrease rates of post-operative ileus (POI) following radical cystectomy (RC) and thereby shorten length of stay (LOS). Naloxegol is a much less expensive drug of the same class that has yet to be studied for prevention of POI in the peri-operative period. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the differences in LOS and development of POI in patients post-RC who take alvimopan versus those who take naloxegol, with the hope that drug efficacy can be evaluated against the significant difference in cost burden between the two drugs. The study population included all adult patients between 18–89 years of age with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy with urostomy at University of Colorado Hospital. Those patients who received usual post-operative care as well as either alvimopan or naloxegol between September 2011 and December 2017 were selected for analysis. Patients who did not take either medication or were switched from one drug to the other were excluded from the study. A zero-truncated binomial regression analysis was used to analyze differences in length of stay in patients who received alvimopan versus those who received naloxegol. Additionally, the incidence of post-operative ileus was compared between treatment groups. 130 patients who underwent RC and received either alvimopan or naloxegol were included in the study: 75 (58%) received alvimopan and 55 (42%) received naloxegol. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. There was no significant difference in the length of stay between patients who received alvimopan and patients who received naloxegol after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, length of surgical time, or stage of disease (p = 0.41). There was no significant between the two drugs for development of POI (p = 0.85). Development of POI was significantly associated with a longer LOS (p = 0.007). The analysis showed that naloxegol was comparable to alvimopan when it came to length of hospital stay following RC. Therefore, naloxegol may be offered as a less expensive, effective alternative to alvimopan.
    VL  - 6
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections