A trial looking at pain control after breast cancer surgery

Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.

Cancer type:

Breast cancer

Status:

Closed

Phase:

Other

This trial is looking at another way to control pain after surgery for breast cancer.

You are most likely to have painkillers after surgery for breast cancer. These work quite well but can cause side effects, for example feeling sick and feeling sleepy. So doctors are always looking for ways to improve pain control after surgery, especially during the first few days after the operation.

The researchers think thin tubes, called wound catheters, could help by delivering a drug that stops feeling (anaesthetic) Open a glossary item straight to where you had surgery. The surgeon puts the tubes in place during your operation. The tubes are attached to a pump that delivers a certain amount of anaesthetic at regular times.

This type of pain control has worked well following other types of surgery including breast reconstruction. It has helped with recovery and reduced the need for painkillers.

The aims of this trial are to find out

How well wound catheters will work following breast cancer surgery
How well this type of pain control reduces the need for painkillers

Who can enter

You may be able to enter this trial if you attend the Wansbeck General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne and you are having surgery to remove your whole breast (mastectomy) with or without breast reconstruction.

You cannot enter this trial if you are

Having surgery to remove just the area of cancer
Having surgery only to remove lymph nodes from under your arm
Having surgery only to readjust your breast implants

Trial design

This trial will recruit 80 women who attend the Wansbeck General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne.

This is a randomised trial. You will be randomly put into 1 of 2 groups. Neither you nor your doctor can choose which group you are in. Half the women have the wound catheters and painkilling drugs to control their pain after surgery. The other women have painkilling drugs only, as is currently done routinely.

On each of the first 2 days after your surgery, you fill in a questionnaire 5 times. It asks you about any pain you might have. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to fill in each time.

The nurse will remove the wound catheters before you go home.