RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether polaprezinc suspension in sodium alginate (P-AG) reduces the irradiation period and time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS: The incidence and severity of oral mucositis, the irradiation period, and the time to discharge in patients who received radiotherapy with head and neck cancer were investigated retrospectively from the medical records. RESULTS: The incidence of grade 3 oral mucositis was significantly lower in the P-AG group than in the control group (16.5% vs 52.0%; p = .0003). P-AG also significantly reduced median duration of radiotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.557; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.357-0.871; p = .0149) and median time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy (HR = 0.604; 95% CI = 0.386-0.946; p = .028). CONCLUSION: P-AG reduced the irradiation period and the time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy by preventing oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1387-1392, 2016.