• 2/2/2006
  • Miami, FL
  • Ayinde O. Chase
  • All Headline News (www.allheadlinenews.com)

Doctors in Italy are studying whether a new type of mouthwash will help alleviate pain for patients suffering from head and neck cancer who were treated with radiation therapy.

According to the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, fifty patients suffering from various forms of head and neck cancer and who received radiation therapy as part of their treatment, were observed during the course of their radiation treatment.

All of the patients experienced some level of pain related to their cancer treatment and this study sought to discover if a mouthwash made from the local anesthetic tetracaine was able to alleviate the discomfort associated with head and neck cancer, and if there would be any negative side effects of the mouthwash.

The mouthwash containing tetracaine was administered approximately 30 minutes before and after meals. With 48 of the 50 patients reporting relief of oral pain

The doctors chose to concoct a tetracaine-based mouthwash instead of a lidocaine-based version because it was found to be four times more effective, worked faster, and produced a prolonged relief.