A Feasibility Study Evaluating Extraoral Photobiomodulation Therapy for Prevention of Mucositis in Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of providing extraoral photobiomodulation therapy (PBT) for prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). BACKGROUND DATA: OM is a frequent complication in pediatric HCT. METHODS: Patients 4-21 years of age scheduled for myeloablative HCT were eligible to participate. PBT was delivered using a THOR Model LX2M with a 69 Diode LED Cluster Probe (34 × 660 nm 10 mW, 35 × 850 nm 30 mW; 1390 mW total power output) at an irradiance of 50 mW/cm(2). Daily treatment exposed six sites (right, left, and midline face and neck) for 60 sec each, for a total dose of 3.0 J/cm(2). Treatment was initiated on the 1st day of conditioning, through day +20. OM assessments were completed at baseline then daily, from day -1 through day +20. Feasibility assessment included both qualitative and quantitative measures and outcomes from patients and providers. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with a median age of 15 years (range, 4.8-21.6) were consented and enrolled, and completed the protocol. The incidence of severe OM [World Health Organization (WHO) Grade ≥3] was 77%, with a median duration of 4 days (range, 1-14). Of 355 attempted PBT administrations, there were six refusals, and the mean proportion of days with data submitted was 96.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 78.5-97.2%]. The 10 trained nurses all reported that the device was accessible, maneuverable, and lightweight, and that training was effective. There was no reported toxicity attributed to the PBT. CONCLUSIONS: Daily delivery of external PBT and completion of OM evaluations is feasible in children undergoing HCT.

[Mouthrinse in oral mucositis in the context of allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a qualitative study]. / Mundspülung bei oraler Mukositis im Kontext der allogenen Stammzell-Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis is a common side effect of allogeneic stem cell transplantation and can lead to increased morbidity, mortality and higher costs. It also has an impact on the quality of patients' lives. In the stem cell transplantation ward of a Swiss university hospital, patients are instructed according to current guidelines for mouthwash and their mouth status is evaluated daily. RESEARCH QUESTION: How do patients experience oral mucositis and what factors influence their behaviour to perform the mouth rinsing regularly? METHOD: In this qualitative part of a concurrent nested mixed methods research, 14 patients were interviewed using an interview guide. Data was analysed using content analysis methods. RESULTS: The results showed that, oral mucositis cannot be viewed separately from illness, isolation and care. The mucositis was only a heavy burden for patients with a severe occurrence. For patients with lower grade occurrences, other symptoms were more important. The research identified motivating and debilitating factors for a regular mouth rinsing, which is one of the most important preventive procedures. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights how important it is to view oral mucositis in the context of the transplantation and that knowledge about motivating and hindering factors can support the nurses in caring for the patients. Improvement of patient self-management is a key aspect.

Prophylaxis for mucositis induced by ambulatory chemotherapy: systematic review.

AIM: The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of clinical trials covering interventions used as prophylaxis for oral mucositis induced by ambulatory antineoplastic chemotherapy. BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy is a side effect that can impact the quality of treatment and can interfere with eating and therapeutic adherence. DESIGN: Quantitative systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Relevant databases were searched, from January 2002-July 2013, by using the combination of the keywords mucositis, stomatitis, neoplasms, antineoplastic agents, drug therapy, prevention and control and chemotherapy. REVIEW METHODS: Two researchers independently read the titles and abstracts from every cross-reference. The quality of the included studies was analysed by the Jadad Scale and the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. Data were extracted from the selected studies with a data collection form developed specifically for this purpose. RESULTS: Of the 23 controlled clinical trials that were identified in this study, five articles evaluated the use of oral cryotherapy to prevent oral mucositis and three studies analysed the prophylactic use of glutamine. Interventions of protocols for oral care, palifermin, allopurinol and chlorhexidine were evaluated by two articles each. Interventions of zinc sulphate, amifostine, chewing gum, sucralfate, recombination human intestinal trefoil factor, kefir and vitamin E were evaluated by one article each. CONCLUSION: There is strong evidence that cryotherapy can prevent oral mucositis arising from ambulatory treatment with 5-flurouracil chemotherapy. Other interventions, although showing positive results in preventing oral mucositis, require further study to confirm their conclusions.

Cancer patients with oral mucositis: challenges for nursing care.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze nursing care provided to cancer patients with oral mucositis based on the Nursing Process (NP). METHOD: this exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study was conducted with 213 patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in two cancer facilities: one philanthropic and one private service. RESULTS: the participants were mainly female, aged 45.8 years old on average, with up to 11 years of schooling and income of up to one times the minimum wage. Severe mucositis was related to chemotherapy associated with radiotherapy. Only 25.3% of the patients reported having received guidance from nurses during their treatment concerning self-care. The perceptions of patients regarding quality of care did not significantly differ between the private and public facilities. The basic human needs mainly affected were comfort, eating, and hygiene. Based on this finding, one NP was established listing the diagnoses, interventions and expected results to establish an ideal, though individualized, standard of nursing care to be provided to these patients. CONCLUSION: to understand oral mucositis is crucial to establish nursing care that includes prevention based on the implementation of an oral care plan.

Oncological patients and the nursing field: ration between the oral mucositis grade and the implemented therapeutic / Pacientes oncológicos e a enfermagem: relação entre grau de mucosite oral e a terapêutica implementada / Pacientes con cáncer y la enfermería: relación entre grado de estomatitis y terapéutica de implementación

Objetivo: Caracterizar a mucosite oral em pacientes em tratamento oncológico. Método: Estudo exploratório-descritivo com abordagem quantitativa, o qual foi realizado com 50 pacientes em um hospital filantrópico em Teresina/PI, de agosto a outubro de 2010. Resultados: Os achados apontaram a prevalência de mucosite oral no gênero masculino e nas faixas etárias inferiores a 17 e superiores a 60 anos. Os diagnósticos oncológicos mais freqüentes foram as leucemias e os cânceres das vias aerodigestivas superiores, cujos tratamentos se concentravam na quimiorradiação, determinando predominantemente graus 1 e 2 de mucosite oral. Os quimioterápicos mais associados à afecção foram: cisplatina, citarabina, metotrexate, sulfato de vincristina, etoposídeo, cloridrato de doxorrubicina. Conclusão: Conclui-se que há necessidade da inserção da enfermagem no fomento às ações preventivas e de controle da mucosite oral, com vistas à manutenção do bem-estar, otimização da resposta terapêutica e melhoria da qualidade de vida do paciente oncológico.

Objetivo: Caracterizar la estomatitis en pacientes en tratamiento contra el cáncer. Método: Estudio descriptivo, exploratorio, cuantitativo, con 50 pacientes en hospital de caridad de Teresina-PI, Brasil, de agosto a octubre de 2010. Resultados: Los hallazgos señalaron prevalencia de la estomatitis en hombres y en los grupos de edad inferiores a 17 y mayores de 60 años. Los diagnósticos de cáncer fueron las leucemias y los cánceres más frecuentes del tracto digestivo superior, cuyos tratamientos se centraron en la quimiorradioterapia, determinando principalmente grado 1 y 2 de la estomatitis. Los quimioterapéuticos más asociados con la enfermedad fueron: cisplatino, citarabina, metotrexato, sulfato de vincristina, etopósido y doxorubicina clorhidrato. Conclusión: hay necesidad de inclusión de la enfermería en la promoción de acciones para controlar y prevenir la estomatitis para el mantenimiento del bienestar, optimización de la respuesta terapéutica y mejora de la calidad de vida de pacientes con cáncer.

Objective: To characterize the oral mucositis in patients under oncological treatment. Method: This is a descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach, which was performed with 50 patients in a philanthropic hospital in the city of Teresina/PI/Brazil, from August to October 2010. Results: The outcomes showed the prevalence of oral mucositis in males and in the age groups lesser than 17 and over 60 years. The most frequent oncological diagnoses were leukemias and aerodigestive route cancers, whose treatments were focused on chemoradiotherapy, by predominantly determining the grades 1 and 2 of oral mucositis. The most associated chemotherapic agents with the disease were: cisplatin, cytarabine, methotrexate, vincristine sulfate, etoposide, doxorubicin hydrochloride. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a need of including the nursing in fostering the preventive and controlling actions towards the oral mucositis, in order to maintain the welfare, therapeutic response optimization and improvement of the life quality of the oncological patient.

Evidence-based oral care for oral mucositis.

Nurses must intervene to provide evidence-based supportive care and symptom management for cancer patients. Oral mucositis, a distressing side effect of cancer treatment, is both a research and clinical priority. Nurses can lead improvements with evidence-based oral mucositis interventions. This article describes application of evidence-based clinical recommendations for oral mucositis across diverse patient populations.

Adverse effects and appetite suppression associated with particle beam therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

AIM: This purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the appetite and various factors that are associated with particle beam therapy, including the adverse effects of radiation, dry-mouth period, analgesic medication use, frequency of oral care, and participants' characteristics, in 121 patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS: A path analysis was used to evaluate the causal relationship of the factors that affected the participants' appetite. RESULTS: At a cumulative dose of 40 GyE, the factors that impacted the participants' appetite included xerostomia, oral mucositis, age, frequency of oral care, and analgesic medication use. At a cumulative dose of 50 GyE, the factors that affected the participants' appetite were xerostomia, sensitivity to taste, oral mucositis, dry-mouth period (in the morning), frequency of oral care, number of artificial teeth, and analgesic medication use. The results indicate that interventions to avoid appetite suppression during particle beam therapy will differ according to a radiation schedule of 40 GyE, compared to 50 GyE. CONCLUSIONS: These results are important to consider when deciding how best to maintain the dietary intake of patients who are receiving particle beam therapy.

Clinical update: prevention and management of oral mucositis in patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To present a clinical update of evidence that applies to the development of a nursing plan of care for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis related to cytotoxic therapy. DATA SOURCES: Research studies, review articles, evidence-based guidelines, web-based material, and clinical experience. CONCLUSION: Although high-level research evidence regarding mucositis remains limited, more is known now than at the time of the original article 4 years ago. Use of multiple types of evidence in developing a structured plan of care facilitates improved patient outcomes and the advancement of the current body of knowledge toward the shared health care professional goal of improved patient outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses play a key role in the identification and use of evidence to guide the care of patients at risk for cytotoxic therapy-related oral mucositis.

Managing stomatitis in patients treated with Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors.

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are a class of targeted cancer therapeutic agents with clinical benefit for multiple tumor types. Oral ulcerations are a common side effect of mTOR inhibitors; however, the clinical findings resemble aphthous stomatitis rather than the mucositis seen with chemotherapy. Consequently, the appearance of aphthous-like oral ulcerations has been referred to as mTOR inhibitor-associated stomatitis (mIAS). The severity of mIAS can be minimized by following common preventive steps and initiating treatment at the first sign of mouth discomfort, thereby reducing the likelihood of treatment discontinuation. mIAS can be managed through prophylactic measures, such as patient education in oral hygiene and avoidance of triggers. Patients who develop mIAS may be treated topically using rinses or other local therapies, including corticosteroids. In severe cases, dose modifications may be required. Oncology nurses have an important role in the management of patients with cancer and are well positioned to offer strategies for minimizing the occurrence and impact of mIAS.

Implementation of an oral care protocol to promote early detection and management of stomatitis.

This project aimed to promote early identification and treatment of stomatitis in patients with cancer receiving head and neck radiation and chemotherapy. A literature review revealed criteria for identifying high-risk patients, interventions to minimize risk, oral assessment tools, treatment protocols, and instructions for a comprehensive oral examination. Thorough and accurate oral care assessments by RNs, promotion of oral care protocols, and early patient education will improve symptom management and quality of life in this population.

Assessment of oral mucositis in adult and pediatric oncology patients: an evidence-based approach.

Oral mucositis is a frequent side effect of cancer treatment and can lead to delayed treatment, reduced treatment dosage, altered nutrition, dehydration, infections, xerostomia, pain, and higher healthcare costs. Mucositis is defined as "inflammatory lesions of the oral and/or gastrointestinal tract caused by high-dose cancer therapies. Alimentary tract mucositis refers to the expression of mucosal injury across the continuum of oral and gastrointestinal mucosa, from the mouth to the anus" (Peterson, Bensadoun, & Roila, 2008, p. ii122). Evidence demonstrates that oral mucositis is quite distressing for patients. In addition, the majority of oncology nurses are unaware of available guidelines related to the care of oral mucositis. A multidisciplinary Oral Mucositis Committee was formed by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to develop evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies for adult and pediatric oncology patients experiencing oral mucositis. The first step was implementing an evidence-based nursing oral assessment. The Iowa Model was used to guide this evidence-based practice initiative. The Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) is reliable and valid, feasible, and sensitive to changing conditions. The OAG was piloted on an Adult Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit leading to modification and adaptation. The pilot evaluation found 87% of patients had an abnormal oral assessment involving all categories in the tool. Nursing questionnaires showed that staff (8/23; 35% response) felt they were able to identify at risk patients using the OAG (3.3; 1-4 scale), and the tool accurately identifies mucosal changes (2.9; 1-4 scale). A knowledge assessment found nurses correctly identified OAG components 63% of the time. Unlike results from a national survey, most University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics nurses (63%) were aware of national guidelines for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis. Developing an evidence-based nursing policy and updating documentation systems was done before implementation occurred. Computer-based and printed educational materials were developed for nursing staff caring for oncology patients. Team members were responsible for facilitating adoption in clinical areas. After organizational roll out, the nursing assessment was documented in all patients 87% of the time, and 99% for inpatients. The highest risk population, head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation, had documentation in 88% of audited visits. Other clinics required further work. Changing the system to the electronic medical record created an additional need for integration of the evidence-based practice with housewide documentation of oral assessment being completed 60.9% of the time. Use of an evidence-based assessment is the first step in a comprehensive program to reduce a common and highly distressing side effect of cancer treatment. Nursing documentation of oral assessment is well integrated on inpatient units. Opportunities for improvement remain in ambulatory care. Multidisciplinary team collaborations to expand evidence-based assessment and research questions generated from this work will be shared.

A systematic review of oral assessment instruments: what can we recommend to practitioners in children's and young people's cancer care?

BACKGROUND: Observing and recording the signs and symptoms of oral mucositis are an important part of oral care, essential to the prevention and treatment of mucositis. Structured oral assessment enables a more informed and accurate identification of signs and symptoms and will enable early and individualized interventions. OBJECTIVE: A United Kingdom-based mouth-care group conducted a systematic review of the published literature through to March 2004 and repeated in 2008. The goal of this review was to identify and evaluate the range of instruments used to assess oral mucositis to recommend in evidence-based guidelines the "best" instrument to use in the field of children's and young people's cancer care. METHODS: Search sources included the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Studies were selected using defined criteria and reviewed by 3 pairs of group members. RESULTS: Fifty-four individual oral assessment instruments were identified with only 15 reporting evidence of reliability and validity testing. Only 3 articles reported on oral assessment exclusively in our population. CONCLUSIONS: The guidelines recommend only 1 assessment instrument, the Oral Assessment Guide, or adaptations of this instrument, to be used in clinical practice. Five factors influenced this recommendation: purpose of assessment, population, outcomes assessed, and quality of the instrument and ease of use. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The Oral Assessment Guide has been consistently judged to be user-friendly and appropriate for everyday clinical practice with both adults and children, as well as a useful research tool.

Prevenção e tratamento da mucosite oral / Prevención y tratamiento de la mucositis oral / Prevention and treatment of oral mucositis

Mucosite oral é um dos efeitos indesejáveis que se destaca após terapêutica antineoplásica. Este trabalho buscou identificar evidências sobre ações de prevenção e tratamento para mucosite oral induzida por quimioterapia e/ou radioterapia que subsidiem o cuidado de enfermagem. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, exploratório, quantitativo realizado através de revisão bibliográfica, no período de 1993 a 2007. Consultou-se as bases de dados Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Biblioteca Cochrane e Scientific Electronic Library Online, tendo sido analisados 38 artigos contendo definições, características e cuidados com mucosite oral. Os enfermeiros publicam pouco sobre a temática, apenas 13,1% das publicações encontradas. Verificou-se que a boa manutenção da higiene oral (39,4%) é a forma mais eficaz de prevenção. O tratamento que mais se destaca atualmente é o laser de baixa potência (21,0%), seguindo-se o gluconato de clorexidina a 0,12% (18,4%). A mucosite requer participação ativa do enfermeiro atuando na assistência pré-terapêutica, prevenindo e preparando o paciente através de abordagem individualizada baseada em evidências.

Oral mucositis is one of the undesirable effects standing out after antineoplasia therapy. This paper aimed at identifying evidence on preventive action and treatment for oral mucositis induced by chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy, which can subsidize nursing care. This is a descriptive, exploratory, quantitative study carried out on the basis of a bibliographic review from 1993 to 2007 on the basis of Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Cochrane Library, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases. Thirty-eight articles containing definitions, characteristics, and care of oral mucositis were analyzed. Nurses publish little on the theme - just 13.1% of titles were found. Good oral hygiene (39.4%) is found to be the most efficient form of prevention. The first two treatments outstanding today are low power laser treatment (21.0%) and chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% (18.4%). Mucositis requires active participation from the nurses working in pre-treatment to prevent and to prepare the patient through an individualized approach based on evidence.

Mucositis oral es un efecto indeseado que se destaca después de la terapéutica antineoplásica. Este trabajo buscó identificar evidencias de las acciones de prevención y tratamiento para mucositis oral inducida por quimioterapia y/o radioterapia que subsidien el cuidado de enfermería. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, exploratorio y cuantitativo realizado a través de revisión de la literatura, en el periodo de 1993 a 2007. Fueron consultadas las bases de datos Literatura Latinoamericana y de Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Biblioteca Cochrane y Scientific Electronic Library Online, siendo analizados 38 artículos sobre definiciones, características y cuidado con mucositis oral. Enfermeros publicaron poco, apenas 13,1% de las publicaciones estudiadas. Fue verificado que el mantenimiento de una buena higiene bucal (39,4%) es la forma más eficaz de prevención. El mejor tratamiento actual es el láser de baja potencia (21,0%), siguiéndose el gluconato de clorhexidina a 0,12% (18,4%). Las acciones de prevención y tratamiento para mucositis requiere participación activa de los enfermeros que actúan en la asistencia preterapeutica, previniendo y preparando el paciente a través de enfoque individualizado basado en evidencias.