LOLIPOP trial
The problem
Following breast cancer surgery, nearly half of women will continue to have some degree of persistent or chronic pain. This pain can be mild, but up to a quarter of patients may have moderate or severe pain.
The potential solution
Lidocaine is an approved local anaesthetic drug, but it’s not currently approved to prevent pain after breast cancer surgery.
The LOLIPOP team completed a pilot study of 150 patients, showing that lidocaine infusions are safe. We are now undertaking the LOLIPOP trial to see if it is an effective treatment to reduce chronic post-surgical pain.
What to expect as a participant
Patients undergoing breast cancer surgery who consent to the trial will be randomly assigned to either receive Lidocaine (a common local anaesthetic drug) or placebo (saltwater with no drug) infusion for up to 24 hours post breast cancer surgery.
During the operation, the study drug will be delivered by a cannula (a drip; or small plastic tube in a vein) and after surgery it will be delivered by a cannula just under the skin in the stomach.
Patients will be asked questions about their pain whilst they are in hospital, and via the telephone at 3 and 12 months post surgery.