Conditions: Acute Oral Mucositis Pain
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 275
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to test whether a mouthwash made with a drug called doxepin can reduce the pain caused by mouth sores resulting from radiation therapy. A number of mouth rinse preparations exist for patients with treatment-related oral mucositis pain such as the DLA rinse, an over-the-counter medication. This study will evaluate the effects of doxepin compared to DLA (diphenhydramine, lidocaine and antacids) and placebo.Doxepin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of depression, anxiety, long-term pain management, as well as management of rash.

Detailed description:
Patients are stratified according to sex (male vs. female), concurrent use of chemotherapy (no vs. yes), patient age at registration (\< 60 years old vs. ≥ 60 years old and RTOG acute radiation morbidity criteria (1 vs. 2 vs 3 or more). Protocol therapy will consist of 2 cycles. Patients are randomized to one of three treatment regimens, which include doxepin, DLA and placebo. Cycle One will consist of one day. The care provider or nurse will confirm that the oral pain is at least 4 out of 10 severity level at the time of the rinse on the first day of the study. Patient will be asked to complete the baseline evaluation in the Oral Symptoms booklet. If the pain score is less than 4 then administration will be delayed until the pain is at least 4. Cycle Two will consist of an optional continuation phase lasting up to 7 days. Initiation of the Cycle 2/Continuation Phase may be delayed up to one week after Cycle 1/Day 1.

Primary Objective:

1\. Determine whether the doxepin rinse or DLA rinse is more effective than placebo in reducing OM-related pain in patients undergoing RT to the oral cavity, as measured by a patient-reported questionnaire at baseline, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours.

Secondary Objectives:

1. Assess the adverse event profile of the doxepin rinse, the DLA rinse agent, and the placebo using a patient-reported questionnaire at 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours for domains of unpleasant taste, burning or stinging discomfort, and drowsiness.
2. Compare the incidence of using additional analgesics between 1 and 4 hours after the initial mouthwash, between the doxepin oral rinse, the DLA rinse agent, and the placebo arms.
3. Compare the length of time that each study product is used by patients in the one-week continuation phase.
4. Compare the daily pain scores in the one-week continuation phase for the three study arms.
5. Compare the 24-hour morphine equivalent dose used in the continuation phase for the three study arms.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients receive 2.5 mL (25 mg) doxepin and 2.5 mL water orally. Doxepin rinse is administered in the clinic on Day 1 (Cycle 1). There is an optional continuation phase within seven days following Day 1 (Cycle 1), patients will be encouraged to continue treatment with the study agent for an additional week (Cycle 2) where the patient takes the rinse at home every 4 hours. Chemotherapy is allowed during the continuation phase. Patients randomized to doxepin or placebo, they and their caregivers will continue to be blinded to the treatment.

Patients will complete the Oral Symptoms booklet per the protocol. arm 2: Patients receive 5.0 mL DLA orally. DLA is administered in the clinic on Day 1 (Cycle 1). There is an optional continuation phase within seven days following Day 1 (Cycle 1), patients will be encouraged to continue treatment with the study agent for an additional week (Cycle 2) where the patient takes the rinse at home every 4 hours. Chemotherapy is allowed during the continuation phase. Patients receiving DLA during the continuation phase of the study, they and/or caregivers may be aware that they are receiving DLA.

Patients will complete the Oral Symptoms booklet per the protocol. arm 3: Patients receive 2.5 mL placebo and 2.5 mL water orally. The placebo rinse is administered in the clinic on Day 1 (Cycle 1). There is an optional continuation phase within seven days following Day 1 (Cycle 1), patients will be encouraged to continue treatment with the study agent for an additional week (Cycle 2) where the patient takes the rinse at home every 4 hours. Chemotherapy is allowed during the continuation phase. Patients randomized to doxepin or placebo, they and their caregivers will continue to be blinded to the treatment.

Patients will complete the Oral Symptoms booklet per the protocol.

Interventions: intervention 1: doxepin hydrochloride oral solution intervention 2: DLA (diphenhydramine, lidocaine and antacids) rinse intervention 3: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 2.5 mL (25 mg) doxepin and 2.5 mL water administered orally intervention 2: 5.0 mL administered orally intervention 3: 2.5 mL placebo and 2.5 mL water administered orally

Protocol document: