Lidocaine for Oxaliplatin-induced Neuropathy

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with an estimated incidence of 130.000 cases per year. Oxaliplatin is the first-line chemotherapy regimen for gastro-intestinal cancers. Despite its efficacy, oxaliplatin causes peripheral neuropathy in 72% of the treated patients. Acute oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy \[OIPN\] is the most common dose-limiting side effect of oxaliplatin and characterized by profound cold allodynia in the extremities. In about 21% of the patients acute OIPN exacerbates into chronic neuropathic pain, which is treatment resistant to currently approved drugs, pointing towards a great need to identify an effective strategy in preventing OIPN. Recent literature suggests that certain methods of assessing sensory nerve function in neuropathic pain patients may provide a prediction to an individual analgesic response; however, no placebo-controlled studies have been performed with the primary goal of identifying treatment response predictors in preventing OIPN. In this pilot study we will both determine the tolerability and the efficacy of intravenous Lidocaine, for preventing oxaliplatin-induced cold hypersensitivity in the setting of mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer. The proposed study will be conducted in two phases. The tolerability phase is an open-label study to determine the tolerable dose regimen of IV lidocaine in patients with advanced colorectal cancer receiving oxaliplatin chemotherapy. The efficacy pilot phase is a randomized, double-blinded, controlled study comparing the outcomes between IV lidocaine versus placebo in the same setting of colorectal cancer. Consented subjects will attend a screening visit and six intervention visits, during which they will undergo sensory testing and receive intravenous lidocaine or placebo infusion. Cold hypersensitivity and spontaneous pain will be assessed at baseline, daily for 12 weeks and at follow-up visits. At enrollment, each patient will be assigned a study number, which will match a previously prepared computer-generated list of randomization numbers to determine the interventions lidocaine or placebo. The participants and all other study personnel will be blinded to the treatment allocation.