Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Sep-Oct;46(5):E288-E296.
doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001128. Epub 2022 Dec 11.

Effectiveness of Cryotherapy on Cancer Therapy-Induced Oral Mucositis: An Umbrella Review

Chai-Chun Lee  1 , Shu-Fen Kuo, Wen-Pei Chang, Shu-Liu Guo, Tsai-Wei Huang
Affiliations

Effectiveness of Cryotherapy on Cancer Therapy-Induced Oral Mucositis: An Umbrella Review

Chai-Chun Lee et al. Cancer Nurs. 2023 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background: Oral mucositis (OM) considerably affects the experience of patients with cancer during treatment. This study investigated the effects of cryotherapy on cancer therapy-induced OM.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically appraise evidence on whether cryotherapy can reduce the incidence and severity of OM.

Methods: We conducted an umbrella review to examine the effect of cryotherapy on cancer-related OM. The primary outcome was the incidence and severity of OM. We performed a subgroup analysis including solid cancers and hematological malignancies.

Results: Five meta-analyses were included. Cryotherapy could more effectively reduce the incidence of severe OM (risk ratio [RR], 0.37; 95% prediction interval [PI], 0.22-0.64). In the subgroup analyses of solid cancers or hematological malignancies, cryotherapy significantly reduced the incidence of grades 2 to 4 OM in patients with solid cancers (RR, 0.51; 95% PI, 0.34-0.78 and RR, 0.52; 95% PI, 0.36-0.74). However, no significant difference was observed in the incidence of OM in patients with hematological malignancies regarding any grade or grade 3 or 4 OM. Moreover, cryotherapy did not significantly reduce the OM duration (mean difference, -0.13; 95% PI, -20.89 to 20.63; mean difference, -2.99, 95% PI, -8.10 to 2.12).

Conclusion: Cryotherapy can reduce the incidence of severe OM induced by chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Implication for practice: We recommend the inclusion of this safe, simple, and convenient intervention in chemotherapy or radiotherapy plans. Additional clinical trials are warranted to extend the limited evidence on the effectiveness of cryotherapy in reducing the severity and duration of OM.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Peterson DE, Boers-Doets CB, Bensadoun RJ, Herrstedt J. Management of oral and gastrointestinal mucosal injury: ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Ann Oncol . 2015;26(Suppl 5):v139–v151.
    1. Jones JA, Avritscher EB, Cooksley CD, Michelet M, Bekele BN, Elting LS. Epidemiology of treatment-associated mucosal injury after treatment with newer regimens for lymphoma, breast, lung, or colorectal cancer. Support Care Cancer . 2006;14(6):505–515.
    1. Maria OM, Eliopoulos N, Muanza T. Radiation-induced oral mucositis. Front Oncol . 2017;7:89.
    1. Gupta A, West HJ. Mucositis (or stomatitis). JAMA Oncol . 2016;2(10):1379.
    1. Georgiou M, Patapatiou G, Domoxoudis S, Pistevou-Gompaki K, Papanikolaou A. Oral mucositis: understanding the pathology and management. Hippokratia . 2012;16(3):215–216.

Publication types

MeSH terms