Assessment of Anxiety and Depression in Oral Mucositis Patients Undergoing Cancer Chemoradiotherapy: A Randomized Cross-sectional Study.
BACKGROUND
Oral mucositis is an unavoidable complication occurring during the treatment of cancer by radiotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), or chemotherapy. This is a painful sequelae, significantly affecting the nutritional intake and quality of life.


METHODS
A multicentric cross-sectional study was done at four cancer centers in Hyderabad. About 455 subjects of both genders between 20 and 80 years undergoing cancer treatment such as chemotherapy (Group I), CCRT (Group II), radiotherapy within 14 days of initiation (Group III), and radiotherapy after 14 days of initiation of therapy (Group IV) who had oral mucositis were included in the study. A self-addressed Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire was used to assess the anxiety/depression in cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis patients.


RESULTS
Group III had established anxiety (58.82%) followed by Group IV (47.5%) of patients showing severe oral mucositis. In Group I, 47.17% and in Group II, 40% patients with borderline anxiety had mild mucositis, which was statistically significant (P= 0.01). Group III had established depression in 56.36%, followed by Group IV with 39.62% patients showed severe oral mucositis. Group I and II had mild to moderate mucositis, which was associated with established depression at statistically significant result (P= 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Group IV had maximum participants with anxiety and depression, closely followed by Group II, Group III, and least in Group I. Thus appropriate intervention in the form of nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment is warranted.
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Panineeya Mahavidyalaya Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Nallan Csk
NC
Chaitanya
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Panineeya Mahavidyalaya Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Komali
K
Garlapati
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Panineeya Mahavidyalaya Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Danam Reshma
DR
Priyanka
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Panineeya Mahavidyalaya Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Sravani
S
Soma
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Panineeya Mahavidyalaya Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Ujwala
U
Suskandla
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Panineeya Mahavidyalaya Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Niharika Harsha
NH
Boinepally
Chemotherapy; Concurrent chemo-radiotherapy; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; International Classification of Diseases; Radiotherapy