Next Article in Journal
Mouth Breathing and Atypical Swallowing in Adult Orthodontic Patients at Egas Moniz Dental Clinic: A Pilot Study
Previous Article in Journal
COVID-19 Risk Perception and Confidence among Clinical Dental Students: Impact on Patient Management
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Medical Sciences Forum
Volume 5
Issue 1
10.3390/msf2021005023
msf-logo
Submit to this Journal
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles thumb_up
...
Endorse textsms
...
Comment
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Proceeding Paper

Incidence of Oral Mucositis in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis †

by
Raquel Pacheco
1,*,
Maria Alzira Cavacas
1,
Paulo Mascarenhas
1,
Pedro Oliveira
1,2 and
Carlos Zagalo
1
1
CiiEM Morphology Lab, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal
2
Instituto de Anatomia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 5th International Congress of CiiEM—Reducing inequalities in Health and Society, Online, 16–18 June 2021.
Med. Sci. Forum 2021, 5(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2021005023
Published: 21 July 2021
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 5th International Congress of CiiEM (IC CiiEM))
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the literature about the incidence of oral mucositis and its degrees (mild, moderate, and severe), in patients undergoing head and neck cancer treatment (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery). Addressing this issue is important since oral mucositis has a negative impact on oral health and significantly deteriorates the quality of life. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team, including dentists, should be involved in the treatment. The overall oral mucositis incidence was 89.4%. The global incidence for mild, moderate, and severe degrees were 16.8%, 34.5%, and 26.4%, respectively. The high incidence rates reported in this review point out the need for greater care in terms of the oral health of these patients.

1. Introduction

OM (oral mucositis) is an acute response which affects patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) and/or chemotherapy (QT) treatments for head and neck cancer. OM includes clinically erosive and/or ulcerative oral lesions that can cause mild to severe pain [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Due to the overall impact on oral health, it is important to evaluate these patients before and after treatment and to have an effective collaboration between health professionals [4].

2. Materials and Methods

This systematic review assessed the following research question: ‘What is the incidence of OM, as well as the respective degrees, in the context of treatment (RT/QT/surgery) of patients with head and neck cancer?’ Articles published between 2015 and 2020, adult patients (≥18 years), and articles that present the incidence of OM in patients during and/or after treatment for head and neck cancer were included. The search was carried out using three databases: PubMed, B-on, and Google Scholar. Six articles were included in the systematic review and in the meta-analysis. The formula [OM incidence = patients with OM/total sample] was used to determine the incidence. Random effect meta-analysis statistics and graphs were performed using Open Meta [Analyst] in its current version.

3. Results and Discussion

The studies in this review reported a high incidence of OM (89.4%), as seen in Figure 1. Heterogeneity was close to 81%. Most reported cases of OM were moderate. Partial incidence of degrees 1, 2, and 3 of OM was 16.8%, 34.5%, and 26.4%, respectively.
The incidence rates of OM reported in this meta-analysis are high, with a need for greater care in terms of the oral health of these patients. In short, there were some limitations in this systematic review in terms of the number of articles published in the last 5 years in relation to OM. Another major limitation was the great heterogeneity in the treatments that patients were subjected to in the different articles and often within the article itself.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Hamauchi, S.; Yokota, T.; Mizumachi, T.; Onozawa, Y.; Ogawa, H.; Onoe, T.; Kamijo, T.; Iida, Y.; Nishimura, T.; Onitsuka, T.; et al. Safety and efficacy of concurrent carboplatin or cetuximab plus radiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer patients ineligible for treatment with cisplatin. Int. J. Clin. Oncol. 2019, 24, 468–475. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  2. Gamez, M.E.; Halyard, M.Y.; Hinni, M.L.; Hayden, R.E.; Nagel, T.H.; Vargas, C.E.; Wong, W.W.; Curtis, K.K.; Zarka, M.A.; Ma, D.; et al. Mucosal Sparing Radiation Therapy in Resected Oropharyngeal Cancer. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. 2017, 126, 185–191. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  3. Falchook, A.D.; Green, R.; Knowles, M.E.; Amdur, R.J.; Mendenhall, W.; Hayes, D.N.; Grilley-Olson, J.E.; Weiss, J.; Reeve, B.B.; Mitchell, S.A.; et al. Comparison of patient- and practitioner-reported toxic effects associated with chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. JAMA Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 2016, 142, 517–523. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  4. Gunn, G.B.; Blanchard, P.; Garden, A.S.; Zhu, X.R.; Fuller, C.D.; Mohamed, A.S.; Morrison, W.H.; Phan, J.; Beadle, B.M.; Skinner, H.D.; et al. Clinical Outcomes and Patterns of Disease Recurrence after Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy for Oropharyngeal Squamous Carcinoma. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 2016, 95, 360–367. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  5. Tahara, M.; Kiyota, N.; Mizusawa, J.; Nakamura, K.; Hayashi, R.; Akimoto, T.; Hasegawa, Y.; Iwae, S.; Monden, N.; Matsuura, K.; et al. Phase II trial of chemoradiotherapy with S-1 plus cisplatin for unresectable locally advanced head and neck cancer (JCOG0706). Cancer Sci. 2015, 106, 726–733. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  6. Van Der Laan, B.F.A.M.; Van Der Laan, H.P.; Bijl, H.P.; Steenbakkers, R.J.H.M.; Van Der Schaaf, A.; Chouvalova, O.; Vemer-Van Den Hoek, J.G.M.; Gawryszuk, A.; Oosting, S.F.; Roodenburg, J.L.N.; et al. Acute symptoms during the course of head and neck radiotherapy or chemoradiation are strong predictors of late dysphagia. Radiat. Oncol. 2015, 115, 56–62. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
Msf 05 00023 g001 550
Figure 1. Forest plot representative of the meta-analysis of the incidence rate of OM: Ev—number of patients who had OM and Trt—number of patients who underwent treatment for head and neck cancer at risk of developing OM.
Figure 1. Forest plot representative of the meta-analysis of the incidence rate of OM: Ev—number of patients who had OM and Trt—number of patients who underwent treatment for head and neck cancer at risk of developing OM.
Msf 05 00023 g001
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Pacheco, R.; Cavacas, M.A.; Mascarenhas, P.; Oliveira, P.; Zagalo, C. Incidence of Oral Mucositis in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Med. Sci. Forum 2021, 5, 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2021005023

AMA Style

Pacheco R, Cavacas MA, Mascarenhas P, Oliveira P, Zagalo C. Incidence of Oral Mucositis in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medical Sciences Forum. 2021; 5(1):23. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2021005023

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pacheco, Raquel, Maria Alzira Cavacas, Paulo Mascarenhas, Pedro Oliveira, and Carlos Zagalo. 2021. "Incidence of Oral Mucositis in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" Medical Sciences Forum 5, no. 1: 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2021005023

APA Style

Pacheco, R., Cavacas, M. A., Mascarenhas, P., Oliveira, P., & Zagalo, C. (2021). Incidence of Oral Mucositis in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medical Sciences Forum, 5(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2021005023

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop