To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Preoperative Topical 4% Liposomal Lidocaine Tackles Pain Incurred From Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Injections: Presented at ASBS URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2212D2.htm Doctor's Guide May 13, 2008
By Carole Bullock NEW YORK -- May 13, 2008 -- Preoperative topical 4% liposomal lidocaine (LLC) significantly decreases the perception of pain during sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy injections, without any compromise in lymph node identification, investigators reported here at the 9th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS 2008). SLN biopsy is an essential component of breast cancer staging and requires that radioactive tracer technetium 99 sulfur colloid be injected into the periareolar area. This process is known to cause pain and anxiety among patients, according to researcher Daniela J. Schupp, MD, Surgery Fellow, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Virginia. To determine the effect of LLC cream on pain and adverse effects, Dr. Schupp and colleagues performed a prospective, randomised, double-blinded study. They enrolled 42 patients aged 18 years or more who presented to the outpatient surgery centre and were not breastfeeding, had no lidocaine allergies, and had no prior periareolar surgeries. Patients received either placebo or 4% LLC cream to their areola with a 1-cm margin prior to SLN injection. The study's endpoint was perceived differences in anxiety and pain due to SLN injections as evaluated before the creams were applied and then within minutes after the injections as measured with a 2- to 10-point visual analogue scale. The researchers analysed the data using Wilcoxon rank tests. Caucasian women comprised the majority of patients (88%), the average age was 55 years, and the average weight was 75.7 kg. None of the patients had signs of an allergic reaction to the creams. Participants received injections within a mean time of 32.2 minutes (SD, 12.2). The difference in pain perception among the 20 patients in the LLC group and the 22 patients in the placebo group was statistically significant (P = .052). The lidocaine group reported a 1-point increase in median pain score from baseline (P = .002), and the placebo group had a 4-point median increase from baseline (P < .001). "Anxiety is not affected by placebo or lidocaine cream application," Dr. Schupp noted in a presentation on May 3. Levels of anxiety before and after the injections were the same in the 2 groups, and there was 100% lymph node identification in both groups (P = .5). [Presentation title: Randomized Comparison of Topical 4% Liposomal Lidocaine Versus Placebo to Reduce Pain and Anxiety During Periareolar Sentinel Lymph Node Injections. Poster Presentation 8] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.