Herbal patches could cut opioid use in cancer patients

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * English speaking with age ≥ 18 years or older * A diagnosis of cancer with no restrictions placed on type of cancer or stage. Eligibility criteria will not be restricted to MSK confirmed biopsy/diagnosis. Outside institution's testing is sufficient. * Ambulatory (Karnofsky Performance Status of ≥ 60) * Having one of three types of pain (e.g., musculoskeletal pain, bone metastasis pain, and visceral/abdominal pain) and the worst pain area can be covered by one patch of topical herbal plaster * Worst pain score (measured by the 0-10 numeric pain rating scale) 4 or above in the preceding week * Current use of short-term oral opioids (i.e. oxycodone, morphine immediate release, or hydromorphone) for pain management. * Willingness to adhere to and understanding of all study-related procedures, including randomization to one of the two possible study arms * Able to understand informed consent and provide signed informed consent form Exclusion Criteria: * Patients are unwilling to reduce opioid use if their pain reduces * Patients have generalized musculoskeletal pain such as fibromyalgia as primary source of pain * Patients with clinician confirmed significant skin disorders such as severe eczema, psoriasis, severe xerosis, chronic dermatitis, or adhesive allergy. * Patients with open wounds, infections, skin trauma at skin overlying area of pain * Patients with documented history of skin sensitivity to adhesive or allergic reaction to other patches or topical analgesics * Patients with documented skin allergic reaction to plants or herbs * Patients who are unwilling to hold their current localized topical pain treatment (such as lidocaine patch) for the most severe pain site. * Patients who undergo initiation or change in pain management strategies within 1 week prior to enrollment, including oral analgesics (e.g., opioids, NSAIDs), medications that can significantly reduce pain (e.g., bisphosphonates, denosumab), or interventional procedures (e.g., nerve blocks, palliative radiation). * Patients who are planned to undergo initiation or change of the above pain management strategies in the 2 weeks following enrollment. * Patients who undergo initiation or change in standard cancer treatments (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy) 1 week prior to enrollment. * Patients who are planned to undergo initiation or change of active cancer treatments (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy) in the 2 weeks following enrollment.