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Review
. 2014 May;2(3):337-340.
doi: 10.3892/mco.2014.253. Epub 2014 Feb 7.

Oral mucositis in cancer treatment: Natural history, prevention and treatment

Maria Ines DA Cruz Campos  1 , Celso Neiva Campos  2 , Fernando Monteiro Aarestrup  3 , Beatriz Julião Vieira Aarestrup  4
Affiliations
Review

Oral mucositis in cancer treatment: Natural history, prevention and treatment

Maria Ines DA Cruz Campos et al. Mol Clin Oncol. 2014 May.

Abstract

Oral mucositis is a condition that is characterized by ulcerative lesions in the mucosa of patients undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Oral mucositis is currently considered to be the most severe complication of anticancer therapy, affecting 40-80% of patients undergoing chemotherapy and almost all those undergoing radiotherapy of the head and neck. Although they do not prevent lesions from appearing, drugs for the treatment of oral mucositis are required to minimize its clinical aggressiveness and improve the nutritional status, hydration and quality of life of the affected patients. Furthermore, the prevention and control of oral ulcers is crucial for cancer prognosis, since the establishment of severe lesions may lead to temporary or permanent treatment discontinuation and compromise cancer control. The objective of this study was to present a review on this condition, its causes and its treatment to professional clinical dentists, in order to help minimize patient suffering. A search was conducted through PubMed, Lilacs and MedLine, to retrieve related articles published between 1994 and 2013.

Keywords: oral mucositis; pathology; prevention and control; therapy.

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