Clinical characteristics and mechanisms involved in chemotherapy-induced oral ulceration

Oral manifestations associated with neutropenia in Syrian patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies and undergoing chemotherapy: A cross-sectional study

Neutropenia can be caused by a variety of congenital and acquired factors, with Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression being the most common cause. Neutropenia significantly affects oral health, leading to the manifestation of oral lesions such as ulcers, fungal and viral infections, and mucositis. This study aims to investigate oral lesions in patients with hematological malignancies who developed neutropenia after chemotherapy. This cross-sectional study included 50 patients with hematological malignancies. The participants were divided into 2 groups: the first group consisted of 25 patients with hematological malignancies who developed chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and the second group consisted of 25 patients with hematological malignancies who did not develop chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Patients were assigned to one of the groups based on the absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Full oral clinical examination was performed to determine the presence of oral lesions. In the Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia group, the most common lesion was ulceration, observed in 12 patients (48%). Fungal infections were the second most common, present in 5 patients (20%), followed by viral infections in 4 patients (15%), and mucositis, which occurred in a single patient (4%). A statistically significant association was found between neutropenia and the presence of oral ulcers (P value = .015). In contrast, in the Chemotherapy group, oral changes were less frequent. Fungal infections were the most common, occurring in 4 patients (15%), followed by oral mucositis in 3 patients (12%). Ulceration and viral infections were the least common, each observed in 1 patient (4%). The frequency of various forms of oral ulcers increases with the severity of neutropenia. However, there was no significant increase in other oral lesions in patients with neutropenia.

Oral Complications in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Disturbances caused by lesions of the oral cavity play an important part in the alteration of the qualtity of life of cancer patients. The main complications affecting the oral cavity are infections (fungal, viral, bacterial), neutropenic ulcers, drug-induced stomatitis, dry mouth, and taste alteration. Most of the information available about these entities has been acquired in the cancer patient without advanced disease. The little known about the epidemiology and physiopathology of such lesions in the advanced phase of cancer is presented and approaches to management are suggested.

Chemotherapy: the effect of oral cryotherapy on the development of mucositis

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of oral cryotherapy on the development of chemotherapy-induced mucositis in patients administered combined chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND

Mucositis has been of interest to scientists for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in the development of standard procedures for prevention and management. To cope with this side-effect and to prevent opportunistic infections that may emerge during treatment, attempts are taken to provide preventative and comfort measures. In this context, cryotherapy (oral cooling) has become popular as a cheap and readily applicable method in preventing the developing due the rapid infusion of chemotherapy agents, or decreasing its severity.

DESIGN AND METHOD

Study involved 60 patients, 30 of whom were in the study group and 30 in the control group. Ice cubes at a size that can be moved easily in the mouth and whose corners have been smoothed in order that they will not cause irritation in the mouth has been used in oral cryotherapy in the study group. Oral chemotherapy was initiated five minutes before chemotherapy and maintained during venous infusions of etoposide (Vepesid), platinol (Cisplatin), mitomycin (Mitomycin-C) and vinblastin (Velbe) depending on the chemotherapy course.

RESULTS

According to Patient-Judged Mucositis Grading, the rate of mucositis is 36.7% in study group and 90.0% in control group, the difference between two groups being statistically significant (P < 0.05). According to Physician-Judged Mucositis Grading, the rate of mucositis is 10.0% in the study group and 50.0% in the control group, the difference between two groups being statistically significant (P < 0.05). Oral pH values decreased in 90% of the subjects in study group, i.e. mucositis risk was reduced whereas oral pH values remained unchanged or decreased in 86.7% of the subjects in the control group, namely mucositis risk increased. The difference between study and control groups in terms of the change in pH values after chemotherapy was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings have demonstrated that oral cryotherapy makes an important contribution to the protection of oral health by reducing the mucositis score according to patient- and physician-judged mucositis score and by increasing oral pH values.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Aggressive cancer therapy places patients at greater risk for oral complications and treatment-related consequences. Unfortunately, prevention and/or treatment of such oral sequelae have often become overlooked as priorities of the treatment team. Effective approaches for the prevention or treatment of oral mucositis have not been standardized, and vary considerably among institutions. Prophylactic measures begin with an increased emphasis on improved oral status. Oral cryotherapy, the therapeutic administration of cold, is a prophylactic measure for oral inflammation. The relevance for clinical practice will be to understand the content of mucositis; comprehensive care should focus on the prevention of this complication in the clinical practice.

Perspectives on cancer therapy-induced mucosal injury: pathogenesis, measurement, epidemiology, and consequences for patients

BACKGROUND

A frequent complication of anticancer treatment, oral and gastrointestinal (GI) mucositis, threatens the effectiveness of therapy because it leads to dose reductions, increases healthcare costs, and impairs patients' quality of life. The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and the International Society for Oral Oncology assembled an international multidisciplinary panel of experts to create clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of mucositis.

METHODS

The panelists examined medical literature published from January 1966 through May 2002, presented their findings at two separate conferences, and then created a writing committee that produced two articles: the current study and another that codifies the clinical implications of the panel's findings in practice guidelines.

RESULTS

New evidence supports the view that oral mucositis is a complex process involving all the tissues and cellular elements of the mucosa. Other findings suggest that some aspects of mucositis risk may be determined genetically. GI proapoptotic and antiapoptotic gene levels change along the GI tract, perhaps explaining differences in the frequency with which mucositis occurs at different sites. Studies of mucositis incidence in clinical trials by quality and using meta-analysis techniques produced estimates of incidence that are presented herein for what to our knowledge may be a broader range of cancers than ever presented before.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the pathobiology of mucositis, its incidence, and scoring are essential for progress in research and care directed at this common side-effect of anticancer therapies.

The role of salivary function in modulating chemotherapy-induced oropharyngeal mucositis: a review of the literature

Oropharyngeal mucositis is a common and significant complication of cancer chemotherapy and limits the delivery of chemotherapy, affects the quality of life, and increases the cost of care. Oral mucositis caused by cancer chemotherapy is associated with specific agents, but the origin of oral mucositis is poorly understood. These drugs may have direct toxic effects on the rapidly dividing cells of the oral mucosa and on cellular elements of the connective tissue. Microbial flora may play a role in the development of ulcerative mucositis. Chemotherapy may be directly toxic and affect the mucosa by systemic circulation and may be related to secretion of some chemotherapeutic drugs in the saliva, resulting in topical exposure to the oral environment. Other potential mechanisms include reduced saliva volume and change in saliva constituents that may affect epithelial maintenance and repair, the physiology of the oral microflora, and the interaction between the oral flora and the epithelium. Improved understanding of the mechanisms whereby specific chemotherapeutic agents cause mucositis may lead to management approaches that will reduce the incidence and severity of mucositis, improving quality of life and ensuring delivery of the necessary chemotherapy to improve cancer cure rates.

An oral care protocol intervention to prevent chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in paediatric cancer patients: a pilot study

The likelihood of paediatric cancer patients experiencing oral mucositis has increased significantly as high-dose and multiple chemotherapy agents are used in the treatment of childhood cancer in recent years. The resulting oral ulcerative lesions can cause significant pain, dysphagia, alteration in nutritional status and increased risk for localized infections that could disseminate systemically. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the clinical benefits of an oral care protocol intervention on the prevention and reduction of the severity of oral mucositis in paediatric patients receiving chemotherapy. Fourteen children were enrolled in the study; there were seven children in the control and seven in the experimental group. In the experimental group, children received a preventive oral care protocol consisting of tooth brushing, normal saline rinse and 0.2% chlorhexidine mouth rinse. Children in the control group received usual care according to the study's clinical setting. Data were collected at baseline, then twice a week for 3 weeks. The incidence of ulcerative lesions, severity of oral mucositis and the related pain intensity were used as the main outcome variables. The experimental group exhibited fewer and less painful oral mucositis lesions. The results of this study support the preventive use of oral care protocols in paediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

Management of oral complications

OBJECTIVES

To explore what nurses were doing to prevent or treat oral complications related to cancer and cancer therapies.

DATA SOURCES

Review articles, research studies, consensus statements, and data collection.

CONCLUSIONS

Different practice patterns exist between physicians and nurses in providing oral care interventions. Nurses initiated less toxic and less costly interventions than those prescribed by physicians. Standard assessment parameters are used infrequently.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Oral mucositis can be distressing by interfering with comfort, appetite, communication, and general well-being. Nurses need to initiate appropriate therapy for patient care.

Risk factors associated with mucositis in cancer patients receiving 5-fluorouracil

Oral mucositis is a dose-limiting toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). This prospective cohort study investigated factors associated with mucositis in patients receiving 5-FU for cancer of the digestive tract. Sixty-three patients (mean age 65 years) completed self-administered questionnaires and had interviews, oral examinations and unstimulated whole salivary flow measurements at baseline and follow-up appointments. The duration of follow-up was 2 months. Predictor variables included sociodemographic data, body surface area, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, salivary flow, oral hygiene, presence of prostheses, performance status, regimen of cytotoxic drugs, hematological data, and herpes simplex virus antibody titer. Forty-six per cent of patients developed at least one episode of oral mucositis during cytotoxic treatment. Pearson's chi-square analysis showed that mucositis was significantly associated with xerostomia at baseline, xerostomia during chemotherapy, and lower baseline neutrophil counts (P < or = 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that xerostomia at baseline (odds ratio, OR = 10.0), or baseline neutrophil level under 4000 cells/mm3 (OR = 3.9) were significant predictors of mucositis. Taking into account the effect of neutrophil level at baseline, xerostomia during chemotherapy (OR = 4.5) was also a significant predictor of mucositis. The results showed that xerostomia and lower baseline neutrophil levels are significantly associated with oral mucositis. These variables should be taken into consideration in the design of intervention studies to reduce the frequency and severity of mucositis. More research is required to investigate the role of saliva and neutrophils in the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced mucositis.

The PRO-SELF Mouth Aware program: an effective approach for reducing chemotherapy-induced mucositis

Many oncology patients receive chemotherapy drugs that have the potential to induce oral mucositis. If mucositis is not prevented, patients will have to manage the problems associated with mucositis: pain, local infection, and decreased ability to take fluids or food. At the time of this writing, clinical approaches for mucositis management are variable and generally ineffective. The mouth care program, PRO-SELF: Mouth Aware (PSMA), presented in this article, was found to be a significant component of a self-care program that may have reduced the incidence of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. The PSMA program has three dimensions: (a) didactic information, (b) development of self-care exercises (skills), and (c) supportive interactions with a nurse in the setting where the patients are receiving their treatment. This program focuses on decreasing the direct (i.e., incidence and severity of mucositis) and indirect morbidities of oral mucositis (i.e., number of local infections, level of discomfort/pain, and disruption in fluid and/or food intake). It provides the critical dimensions (i.e., specific information, self-care exercises, and nurse support) to promote the prevention of mucositis. The PSMA program is designed to provide patients with a definitive self-care repertoire to manage chemotherapy-induced mucositis in the home without the direct supervision of a health care provider.

Oral sources of septicaemia in patients with malignancies

This article reviews papers dealing with oral infections of adult septicaemia patients, searched from MEDLINE, Current Contents and Core Biomedical Collection databases from January 1966 to November 1996. Case reports were excluded. The systematic review of literature revealed that our knowledge of the topic is mostly based on very small patient material. There are no multicentre studies on the effects of various oral health treatment modes on the prevention of septicaemia of oral origin. The number of controlled and comparative studies on the efficacy of the different treatment protocols of oral infections is also small. Current recommendations in this respect are mainly empirical and not evidence based. Clinical practice guidelines are therefore urgently needed. Nevertheless, close co-operation between oncological and oral health units is emphasised because many studies have shown that the oral cavity is indeed an important source of bacteraemia. Life-threatening infections may follow if maintenance of oral health is neglected during anticancer therapy and if potential oral infection foci are left untreated before immunosuppressive therapy.

Oral mucosal side effects of cytotoxic chemotherapy of testicular cancer. A retrospective study

Cancer chemotherapy often leads to injury of normal cells. Adverse effects on oral mucosa have been documented for several cytotoxic treatment regimens. The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate incidence and degree of oral soft tissue side-effects of a cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimen used for treating testicular cancer. The study was based upon a questionnaire mailed to 56 consecutive patients treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital. A total of 39 individuals joined the study, as 2 patients refused and 15 did not reply. The patients were divided into two groups, a case group (24 individuals) having received 4 7 cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in addition to surgery, and a control group (15 individuals) treated with surgery alone. The study revealed that 62% of the patients in the chemotherapy group developed adverse soft tissue reactions, with mucositis and pain as chief complaints, whereas none in the control group experienced any mucosal complications.

Orofacial complications of chemotherapy for breast cancer

The National Institutes of Health recently recommended research initiatives to investigate oral complications of cancer chemotherapy. This prospective cohort study investigated orofacial complications of combination chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil, vincristine, and prednisone) in women with breast cancer. Thirty-four patients were given baseline interviews and examinations. Each patient was given weekly orofacial examinations and biweekly interviews for the first seven cycles of cytotoxic treatment. The orofacial complications included neurotoxicity caused by vincristine, mucositis, and candidiasis. Neurotoxicity affected 22 of 34 (65%) patients, was significantly associated with age less than 50 years (p less than 0.05), and manifested as pain in 19 of 34 (56%) patients. Mucositis affected 7 of 34 (21%) patients and was significantly associated with the occurrence of lesions of the oral mucosa at baseline examination; and smaller body surface area--indicating a dose-related toxicity (p less than 0.05). In four of the patients with mucositis (57%) granulocytopenia developed during the 7 days after the onset of mucositis. Intraoral candidiasis affected 4 of 34 (12%) patients.

Response of the oral mucosa to denture wearing

This paper reviews both past and current knowledge concerning the controversial subject of mucosal responses associated with denture wearing. The subject has been considered in terms of both gross clinical and histopathological changes arising from daily prosthesis use. Displacement of basal seat tissues during function has been discussed, along with denture-induced alterations of the local microfloral ecosystems. The influences of common drugs and therapeutic regimens such as ionizing radiation treatments have been considered, and as with all the fields discussed, have been related to clinical use and success of prostheses.

Herpes simplex virus and intraoral ulcers in immunocompromised patients with haematologic malignancies

Possible factors predisposing to the development of intraoral ulcers in immunocompromised patients with haematologic malignancies were investigated. Among 46 patients undergoing antineoplastic treatment, 18 developed an intraoral ulcer during the prospective study. Patients with or without ulcers were comparable with respect to underlying disease, presence of teeth, the qualitative composition of the aerobic and facultatively anaerobic oral microflora, herpes simplex virus (HSV) titer positivity, a past history of herpes labialis, leukocyte and thrombocyte counts, and duration of fever. Viral cultures from saliva revealed an association between the presence of HSV in saliva and the presence of intraoral ulcers. HSV was not isolated from the saliva of any patient without ulcers. Viral cultures from the ulcers revealed growth of HSV in 11 (61%) of the 18 patients with ulcers. HSV-positive ulcers were located more often on the alveolar process than elsewhere in the oral cavity. Ulcers on the lateral borders of the tongue and on the buccal mucosa were found only in dentate patients. Development of intraoral ulcers was not associated with an increase of the HSV titer in serum in any patient. It is concluded that some intraoral ulcers, especially when located on the alveolar process, are associated with and probably caused by HSV, while mechanical trauma during mastication seems likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of ulcers elsewhere in the oral cavity.

Recognition and management of invasive pharyngeal candidiasis in acute leukemia

Invasive fungal infection is a potentially fatal complication in severely neutropenic patients with acute leukemia. Two cases are presented to demonstrate specific clinical signs and symptoms that should alert the clinician to the possibility of aggressive invasive candidiasis of the oropharynx.

Issues in symptom control. Part 4. Oral complications in patients with advanced cancer

Disturbances caused by lesions of the oral cavity play an important part in the alteration of the quality of life of cancer patients. The main complications affecting the oral cavity are infections (fungal, viral, bacterial), neutropenic ulcers, drug-induced stomatitis, dry mouth, and taste alteration. Most of the information available about these entities has been acquired in the cancer patient without advanced disease. The little knowledge about the epidemiology and physiopathology of such lesions in the advanced phase of cancer is presented, and approaches to management are suggested.

Metronidazole in the management of anaerobic neck infection in acute leukemia

A case involving a rapidly progressive neck infection in a severely neutropenic patient with acute leukemia is reported. Resolution followed the addition of metronidazole to an existing standard piperacillin/gentamicin combination, which was used primarily to cover potential gram-negative bacillary pathogens. This indicated the importance of considering extension of anaerobic cover in such infections.

Oral complications in a patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia: a report of case

Herpes viruses and Candida albicans are among the most common opportunistic pathogens infecting patients with neoplastic disease, especially those patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. Herpes virus infections have increased as treatment of oncological disease has become more aggressive and immunosuppression disorders have become more prevalent. Herpes simplex virus on the lips and mouth of a patient receiving chemotherapy can progress to multiple lesions in the mouth, larynx, and in rare instances can lead to pneumonitis and widely disseminated infection. The management and dental findings of a 13-year-old patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia are described.

A long-term prospective clinical study of oral complications during conventional chemotherapy for acute leukemia

Oral complications were detected during 89% of hospital admissions for treatment of acute leukemia in adults. Changes that reflected the underlying myelosuppression and general immunosuppression predominated. Hemorrhagic phenomena (77%), neutropenic ulceration (49%), and herpes simplex virus infections (39%) were the most common.