The use of low-energy laser (LEL) for the prevention of chemotherapy- and/or radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in cancer patients: results from two prospective studies.
Support Care Cancer
; 16(12): 1381-7, 2008 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18458964
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Low-energy laser (LEL) treatment has been suggested as an effective and safe method to prevent and/or treat oral mucositis induced by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy; however, it has not gained wide acceptance so far. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
We conducted two clinical trials testing the LEL technique firstly, as a secondary prevention in patients with various solid tumors treated with chemotherapy who all developed severe mucositis after a previous identical chemotherapy and, secondly, as therapeutic intervention (compared to sham illumination in a randomized way) in patients with hematological tumors receiving intensive chemotherapy and having developed low-grade oral mucositis.RESULTS:
We entered 26 eligible patients in the first study and 36 were randomized in the second study. The success rate was 81% (95%CI = 61-93%) when LEL was given as a preventive treatment. In the second study, in patients with existing lesions, the therapeutic success rate was 83% (95%CI = 59-96%), which was significantly different from the success rate reached in the sham-treated patients (11%; 95%CI = 1-35%); the time to development of grade 3 mucositis was also significantly shorter in the sham-treated patients (p < 0.001).CONCLUSION:
Our results strongly support the already available literature, suggesting that LEL is an effective and safe approach to prevent or treat oral mucositis resulting from cancer chemotherapy.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Health context:
2_ODS3
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Radiotherapy
/
Stomatitis
/
Low-Level Light Therapy
/
Antineoplastic Agents
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Support Care Cancer
Year:
2008
Document type:
Article