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Managing mucositis in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy
University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA
Oral mucositis is a common complication of cancer treatments and is often the dose-limiting toxicity in treating head and neck cancers. This condition affects patients’ quality of life, increases the risk for systemic infection, and impairs nutrition. In addition to the type of malignancy and antineoplastic therapy, a patient’s risk factors for the development of oral mucositis include baseline oral health, immune status, and decreased salivary production. Standardized grading scales should be used to assess oral mucositis on all patients at risk. To prevent the development of oral mucositis, good oral hygiene should be encouraged in all patients undergoing radiation therapy to the head and neck. Oral hygiene remains the basis of care when treating oral mucositis. Single-agent topical analgesics can be used for symptomatic relief and systemic analgesia should be used when appropriate. Currently, many additional therapies are under investigation for use in the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis including palifermin, velafermin, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, L-glutamine, and many other cytokines.
| Commun Oncol 2006;3:653–656 | full text |  106 kb |