Lidocaine Patch in Treating Cancer Patients With Neuropathic Pain After Surgery

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Underwent surgical procedure for cancer diagnosis or treatment
• •Experiencing persistent pain for at least 1 month
• •* Pain must have neuropathic features (e.g., burning, shooting, stabbing, tingling, or pain from light touch)
• •* Anatomically related to the surgical site and compatible with nerve injury
• •* Pain rating of at least 4 out of 10 on the pain scale
• •No pain of multiple etiologies at the proposed treatment site (e.g., pain of neuropathic and muscular or skeletal origin)
• •Painful area must be no larger than can be covered by 3 lidocaine patches\* NOTE: \*Each patch size is 5.5 x 4 inches
• •No skin disease, breakdown, infection, or extreme thinning at the site of pain
• •No skin or soft tissue malignancy in the painful area
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •18 and over
• •Performance status
• •Not specified
• •Life expectancy
• •At least 6 months
• •Hematopoietic
• •Not specified
• •Hepatic
• •AST ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal
• •Renal
• •Not specified
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •Able to understand and complete questionnaires
• •No recent history of or concurrent drug or alcohol abuse
• •No mental or psychiatric condition that would preclude giving informed consent
• •No history of allergic reaction or intolerance to lidocaine or other amide local anesthetics (e.g., bupivacaine)
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •No prior neurotoxic chemotherapy\* with pain in the same area as postsurgical neuropathic pain, except for pain that was present before neurotoxic chemotherapy administration
• •No concurrent neurotoxic chemotherapy\* NOTE: \*Including taxanes (e.g., paclitaxel or docetaxel), platinum-based compounds (e.g., cisplatin or carboplatin), or vinca alkaloids (e.g., vincristine or vinblastine)
• •Endocrine therapy
• •More than 7 days since prior topical corticosteroids to the painful area
• •No new corticosteroids may be initiated during study participation
• •Radiotherapy
• •No concurrent radiotherapy to the painful area
• •Surgery
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •Other
• •More than 7 days since other prior topical medications to the painful area (including capsaicin)
• •No change in current analgesic regimen within the past 10 days
• •No new analgesic or adjuvant drugs (e.g., antidepressants, anticonvulsants, or anxiolytics) may be initiated during study participation
• •* Concurrent stable doses of nonopioid, opioid, and adjuvant analgesic drugs are allowed (including antidepressants or anticonvulsants)
• •No concurrent class I antiarrhythmic drugs (e.g., tocainide and mexiletine)
• •Concurrent skin lubricants and sunscreen are allowed provided they are not heavily applied