Abstract
Abstract
Background:
There is currently no established therapy for allodynia, which is a type of neuropathic pain. However, high concentrations of topical anesthetics can anesthetize the skin and increase the sensory threshold to tactile stimulation.
Objective:
We aimed to evaluate the short-term effects and safety of 10% lidocaine ointment for treating allodynia in cancer pain.
Design:
This was a randomized double-blind crossover study comparing the efficacies of 10% lidocaine ointment and placebo ointment for the treatment of static allodynia and spontaneous pain within 24 hours after ointment application, using a numerical rating scale (NRS).
Setting/Subjects:
The subjects were 25 cancer patients with current pain rating of ≥4 on NRS of static allodynia in cancer pain.
Results:
The NRS scores for static allodynia were significantly lower in the lidocaine group than in the placebo group at two to eight hours after initial ointment application. A total of 56% of patients (95% confidence interval 35%–77%) had NRS improvements of ≥50% at eight hours after lidocaine ointment application compared with 20% (3%–37%) after placebo ointment application. There was no interaction between time and group in terms of NRS values for spontaneous pain (p = 0.835), but a significant main effect of group was found, with NRS scores being significantly lower in the lidocaine group than in the placebo group (p = 0.027). There were no adverse events associated with lidocaine use.
Conclusions:
Lidocaine ointment 10% can alleviate allodynia for two to eight hours after application.
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