Phase II study results show that tetracaine-based mouthwash provides fast, prolonged, and effective relief of mucositis-related mouth pain in patients with head and neck cancer are undergoing radiation therapy, according to an article in the February 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.

The prospective study enrolled 50 Italian patients with various forms of head and neck cancer who were going to receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. All patients experienced some level of pain related to their cancer treatment. The researchers chose to develop a tetracaine-based mouthwash instead of a lidocaine-based version because it was found to be four times more effective, worked faster and produced prolonged relief.

The tetracaine was administered approximately 30 minutes before and after meals, or roughly six times a day. Relief of oral pain was reported in 48 of 50 patients; 16 patients reported that the mouthwash had an unpleasant taste or altered the taste of their food.

“Though our study is relatively small, we found that the tetracaine-based mouthwash reduced oral pain, without any relevant side effects, in a sizeable number of our studied patients. With more testing, this could become a more common way to treat this side effect,” said Daniela Alterio, MD, lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy. “Oral pain is one of the most common side effects of radiation therapy for head and neck cancers, so this is great news for patients undergoing that treatment.”