Purpose: Oral mucositis (OM), a complication frequently associated with cancer chemotherapy, may decrease treatment efficacy due to dose reduction or impair the patient's quality of life. The purpose was to determine the incidence and severity of OM and its sequelae in patients receiving conventional chemotherapy for various malignancies.
Methods: Two hundred twenty-seven patients (male, 33%; female, 66%) who received chemotherapy for head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and malignant lymphomas at the Cancer Institute Hospital between January 2007 and December 2008 were examined with questionnaires, prospectively.
Results: The incidence of OM was highest in patients with breast cancer (76.5%), then head and neck cancer (67.7%), colorectal cancer (63%), esophageal cancer (57.8%), and malignant lymphoma (42.9%). However, patients who experienced severe OM (≥grade 3) were rare: at most 4.8%. The high-risk regimens for OM were TPF (85.7%), FOLFIRI (80%), CAF (78.8%), AC (70.6%), and FOLFOX (60%). OM was associated with gastrointestinal adverse events, anorexia, diarrhea, and dysphagia, which aggravated quality of life. There was no correlation between incidence of OM and prior therapy, PS, oral care, or laboratory data. There was no statistically significant correlation between OM and overall survival. The predictive factor was history of OM in previous chemotherapy.
Conclusion: OM frequently occurs in patients with various tumors receiving conventional chemotherapy. Despite low-grade OM, they might cause gastrointestinal adverse events. Adequate preventive treatment for OM is required depending on each chemotherapy regimen and each patient's OM history.