title: Five-year follow-up of survival and relapse in patients who received cryotherapy during high-dose chemotherapy for stem cell transplantation shows no safety concerns.
abstract: We have previously published a randomised controlled study of the efficacy of cryotherapy in preventing acute oral mucositis after high-dose chemotherapy for stem cell transplantation. The present study is a 5-year follow-up safety study of survival in these patients. In the previously published study oral cryotherapy (cooling of the oral cavity) during high-dose chemotherapy significantly reduced mucositis grade and opiate use in the treated group. All patients were followed up for at least 5 years with regard to relapse and death rates. Baseline data, transplant complications and mucositis data were compared. Significantly more patients (25/39) who received oral cryotherapy were alive after 5 years compared to 15/39 in the control group (P= 0.025). Relapse rates were similar. The only baseline difference was a lower proportion of patients in complete remission at transplantation in the control group (6 vs. 13, P= 0.047). This 5-year follow-up study gave no support for safety concerns with cryotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. ann-carin.svanberg@akademiska.se
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svanberg
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohrn
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Birgegård
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012074:Remission Induction; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome