Treatment of acute and chronic focal neuropathic pain in cancer patients with lidocaine 5 % patches. A radiation and oncology department experience

This study aims to evaluate the utility of a new technology, Lidocaine 5 % patch (L5%P), for providing analgesia without other sensory deficit in cancer patients with focal neuropathic pain (NP) related or not with cancer. During the period February 2011 to July 2011, 83 patients were seen for the first time in our department and L5%P were prescribed to 15 of those patients (18.07 %). Information recorded in relation to the L5%P included the following: (a) Nature of NP, (b) medications tested, (c) drug combinations, (d) L5%P therapy duration, (e) efficacy, and (f) undesirable effects. Forty percent of the patients (n = 6) in our series had NP related to their cancer and 60 % (n = 9), chronic NP not related to their cancer diagnosis, but all referred to our Radiotherapy and Oncology Department for radiotherapy. The analgesic effect of the L5%P was potent in eight cases (53.33 %) and partial in four cases (26.66 %). This represents 79.99 % efficacy in selected patients. There were no serious adverse events reported in any of the patients. The results indicate that there are patients with NP within a cancer setting who are suitable for treatment and successfully managed with topical L5%P, alone or in combination with other drugs.