Oral mucositis: a challenging complication of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiochemotherapy. Part 2: diagnosis and management of mucositis.
BACKGROUND
Oral mucositis is a common sequel of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiochemotherapy in patients with cancer or patients requiring hemopoietic stem cell transplants. Mucositis has a direct and significant impact on the duration of disease remission and cure rates, because it is a treatment-limiting toxicity. Mucositis also affects survival because of the risk of infection and has a significant impact on quality of life and cost of care.


METHODS
This article reviews publications on the diagnosis and management of oral mucositis accessible from a MEDLINE search using as key words mucositis, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hemopoietic stem cell transplant, and oral.


CONCLUSIONS
Conventional care of patients with mucositis is currently essentially palliative, with good oral hygiene, narcotic analgesics, and topical palliative mouth rinses.
Scully
Crispian
C
World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Oral Health, Disability and Culture, University College London, University of London, London WC1X 8LD, United Kingdom. c.scully@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
Epstein
Joel
J
Sonis
Stephen
S
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000379:methods; D004032:Diet; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D059408:Pain Management; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents