Testing a new numbing lozenge for mouth pain in head and neck cancer patients

This trial is testing a new medication called BupiZenge—a numbing lozenge containing bupivacaine—to see if it works better than the standard numbing solution (lidocaine) for treating painful mouth sores that develop during radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. About 150 people will be randomly assigned to receive either the new medication or the standard treatment, and researchers will compare how well each one reduces pain and what side effects occur.

Mouth sores are a common and painful side effect of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, and current treatments don't always work well enough. This trial is testing whether this new lozenge form of numbing medication can provide better pain relief and be easier for patients to use.