BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cancer pain treatment faces challenges such as ineffective pain management, high-dose opioid use, and insufficient analgesia. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a novel α2 receptor agonist, is a potential adjuvant analgesic. Its analgesic mechanism involves central coeruleus cell hyperpolarization, activation of peripheral, spinal cord, and spinal α2 receptors, and regulation of cellular signaling pathways and inflammatory factors. DEX reduces harmful neurotransmitter production and pain signal transmission and enhances opioid a...
