Shah R, et al. - Researchers performed a retrospective cohort study of cancer survivors (5 years or more postcancer diagnosis) for the rates and predictors of long-term opioid therapy. Using Medicare Part D event data, the estimated prolonged opioid therapy rate was 7.1% prior to cancer diagnosis; it rose to 9.8% within a year of cancer treatments, and to 13.3% at 5 years postdiagnosis. Findings suggest the continued high rates of prolonged opioid prescribing for older cancer survivors at 5 or more years after cancer diagnosis. Predictors of prolonged opioid therapy included years since diagnosis, a later year of diagnosis, female sex, urban location, lung cancer diagnosis, disability as reason for Medicare entitlement, Medicaid eligibility, one or more comorbidity, and history of depression or drug abuse.