Table 2 Selection criteria

- Patient aged 18 years or older

- Patient suffering from cancer pain refractory to standard opiates (numeric pain intensity scale (NPIS) ≥4/10 after 24 hours of continuous intravenous morphine or oxycodone administration [17], analgesics drugs for adults cancer nociceptive pain]), regardless of the nature of the primary cancer

- Patient suffering from cancer neuropathic or mixed pain (DNA survey score ≥4 [18])

- Patient receiving palliative care as defined by French Society of Palliative and Support Care [Charte des Soins Palliatifs, 1996, Act No. 99–477 of 9 June 1999 to guarantee the right of access to palliative care] according to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO)

- Patient receiving or not receiving orally or intravenously morphine or oxycodone

- Patient with a histological diagnosis of cancer (locally advanced or metastatic disease)

- Patient without curative cancer treatment, and with or without palliative anticancer treatment

- atient receiving tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, or antiarrhythmics for less than two weeks

- Patient hospitalized in a specific palliative care unit

- Patient with an estimated survival of more than 48 hours (physician estimation)

- Written informed consent for participation obtained prior to any study procedures.

Exclusion criteria

- Patient with a known hypersensitivity to lidocaine

- Patient with a history of porphyria, arrhythmias, disorders of atrioventricular conduction requiring permanent pacing not yet realized, uncontrolled epilepsy, or uncontrolled hypertension

- Patient with hematologic malignancy, abnormal renal, hepatic, and cardiac functions

- Patient with an altered sleepiness (Epworth scale score ≤16)

- Patient with altered cognitive function (Test ELEmentaire de Concentration, Orientation et Mémoire score >11)

- Patient not native French speaker

- Patient defined as a vulnerable subject (minor subject, pregnant or nursing woman, subject who is freedom-deprived)