A mouth rinse containing the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin appears to relieve mucositis pain among patients with head and neck cancers better than plain water, researchers reported here.
Within 15 minutes, pain assessed on a visual analog scale dropped 1 point with water and 2 points with doxepin, Robert Miller, MD, professor of medicine at the Mayo School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., said at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting.
The pain relief was maintained for about an hour before rebounding. But even after 4 hours, pain was still 1.5 points lower with doxepin compared with about a half-point lower with water, a difference that achieved statistical significance (P=0.0003).
"Compared with placebo, we think oral doxepin rinse is an effective treatment for oral mucositis in patients undergoing head and neck cancer therapy," Miller said in a press briefing sponsored by ASTRO.
The plenary session following the morning briefing turned out to be the only time Monday that a plenary was given in front of a live audience, because the effects of Hurricane Sandy forced cancellation of the afternoon plenary session. That session was later recorded in an empty ballroom for posting online.
01/11/2012 : By Ed Susman / MedPage Today.
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