Impact of low-level laser therapy on the quality of life of patients with xerostomia undergoing head and neck radiotherapy: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To carry out a systematic review to assess whether low-level laser therapy can improve the quality of life of patients with xerostomia undergoing head and neck radiotherapy. METHODS: A systematic search was performed through Embase, Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, nonpeer-reviewed clinicaltrials.gov and LILACS. The strategy included clinical studies were selected that prospectively followed or evaluated the quality of life by directly comparing the use of low-level laser therapy for xerostomia induced by head and neck radiotherapy with alternative therapies without the use of a laser. The risk of bias in the studies was assessed by RoB 2.0 and Robins I. RESULTS: After all application of the predetermined criteria, four studies were included, dated between the years 2014 and 2023. Three studies described as randomized clinical trials were included, one of which was a randomized pilot study and only one was a prospective clinical trial. A total of 126 patients were evaluated, all four studies used the infrared wavelength, with two studies using the combination with the red wavelength. It was observed that low-level laser therapy can change the sensation of dry mouth, improving patients' quality of life. In addition, changes related to increased stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow were also identified. CONCLUSION: The use of low-level laser therapy has promising results on xerostomia, consequently improving the quality of life of patients undergoing radiotherapy in the head and neck region.

Possible adverse effects of low-level laser on oral and oropharyngeal cancer cells: A scope review.

BACKGROUND: The effects of laser therapy on normal cells are well known and accepted, but the impact of this therapy on malignant cells are not yet fully understood. This review aims to map and outline what the scientific literature addresses on the effects of laser therapy on malignant cells. METHODS: This review article followed the guidelines of the PRISMA-ScR protocol, being all the search, analysis, and selection of articles based on it. RESULTS: After all application of the predetermined criteria, five studies were included, dated between the years 2013 and 2021. With the complete reading of the selected studies, 100% of the articles were classified as category III of the Agency for Healthcare as Research and Quality classification. Similar themes among the papers included were investigated and compared. In these five studies, the visible red and near infrared wavelengths were used, and energy densities varied between 1 and 5 J/cm2 . It was observed that low-level laser could alter the expression of cell proliferation and migration proteins, such as cyclin D1, E-cadherin, and ß-catenin. In addition, changes related to increased cell viability and metabolism were also identified. CONCLUSION: The low-level laser seems to positively regulate the proliferative, migratory, and viability capacity of neoplastic cells, depending on the protocol used. All these studies included in the review are equivalent to in vitro studies; the cells are not in such a complex environment as is an organized tissue, making it necessary to carry out more complex tests, such as in vivo research.

Racial disparity and prognosis in patients with mouth and oropharynx cancer in Brazil

Background: Oral and oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.Populations in situations of social vulnerability tend to have higher incidences of cancer, a higher proportion oflate diagnosis, greater difficulties in accessing health services, and, consequently, worse prognosis. The aim ofthis study was to evaluate the relationship between race/skin color and OPC prognosis in Brazil.Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study using OPC data from the National CancerInstitute between the years 2000 and 2019. The selected variables were: gender, race/skin color, age, education,smoking and alcohol consumption, stage of the disease and disease status at the end of the 1st treatment.Results: 154,214 cases were recorded. Black men, in the 6th decade of life, were the most affected population.Blacks had a lower level of education when compared to non-blacks (p<0.001). Blacks were more exposed tosmoking and alcohol consumption (p<0.001). At the time of diagnosis, the black population was at the most advanced stage when compared to non-blacks (p<0.001). At the end of the 1st treatment, more black patients haddisease in progression, as well as more black patients died (p<0.001). Conclusions: Blacks had a worse prognosisfor OPC in Brazil. Despite the limitations, these results are important to elucidate the scenario of health disparitiesin relation to the race/skin color of the Brazilian population. (AU)

Evaluation of the salivary flow of patients undergoing conventional radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was to evaluate the salivary flow of 20 patients undergoing conventional 2-dimensional radiotherapy in the head and neck region. Unstimulated salivary flow was measured with the spitting technique. In addition, xerostomia was evaluated through the Eisbruch grading system and the Xerostomia Inventory (XI). The patients were evaluated 3 times: D0, before the first radiotherapy session; D17, after the 17th radiotherapy session; and D35, after the last radiotherapy session. Most of the patients in the present study were men (70%). The larynx was the most frequent site of cancer in this sample (45%). The most prevalent oral alteration during radiotherapy was odynophagia (75%). The analysis of subjective symptoms of xerostomia revealed no statistically significant differences (P = 0.059). However, statistically significant differences in the XI were found, with scores increasing from D0 to D17 and D35 (P = 0.004). With regard to the objective symptoms of xerostomia, most patients started treatment in grade 1 and remained in the same category at the end of radiation. There was a slight increase in salivary volume during treatment, an atypical finding that can probably be explained by the use of low-level laser, which was applied to prevent oral mucositis in all of the patients. The mean total radiation dose (65 Gy) received by the patients in the present sample did not appear to influence the XI values or salivary volume. The data reinforced the subjective nature of xerostomia, which is not always related to hyposalivation.