Treatment of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Induced Oral Mucositis

The term "mucositis" was introduced to describe inflammation of the oral mucosa induced by radiotherapy, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. At present, oral mucositis is considered to be the most serious non-hematological complication of cancer treatment.

Numerous predisposing factors have been blamed for oral mucositis, including: the type of tumor involved, age of the patient, dental health, the nutritional condition of the patient, the maintenance of kidney and liver function and the type of cytostatic agent used.

Clinically, oral Mucositis may appear as erythema, edema or ulceration that can be accompanied by alterations ranging from mild burning sensation to large and painful ulcers that wor¬sen patient's quality of life and limit basic oral functions such as speech, swallowing of saliva or eating.

According to Multinational Association for Supportive Care in cancer and the International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) guidelines for the management of mucositis, Management of oral mucositis is divided into the following sections: nutritional support, pain control, oral decontamination, palliation of dry mouth, management of oral bleeding and therapeutic interventions for oral mucositis.

Since the primary symptom of oral mucositis is pain which significantly affects nutritional intake, mouth care and quality of life, thus, management of mucositis pain is a primary component of any mucositis management strategy. Use of saline mouth rinses, ice chips and topical mouthrinses containing an anesthetic such as 2% viscous lidocaine can help in reducing pain

Based on the pathogenesis of mucositis with complex biological inflammatory pathways, various therapeutic approach have been proposed to improve oral mucositis.

The current guidelines recommend the use of non-medicated oral rinses such as Benzydamine hydrochloride mouthwash and the use of short term pain killers. Benzydamine hydrochloride - which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - can be used in the form of mouth rinse to reduce the severity of oral mucositis. Other management strategies include cryotherapy before the start of chemotheraputic agent administration and application of low-level laser therapy. Palifermin (Keratinocyte growth factor) is the only recommended preventive measure recommended by the ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Solcoseryl, is a protein free standardized dialysate of calf blood extracted by ultrafiltration. The main constituents of Solcoseryl are inorganic electrolytes (chloride, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) and low-molecular weight substances, including amino acids, biogenic amines and polyamines, sphingolipids, hexoses, eicosanoids, lactate, acetate, succinate, choline, vitamins, adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and inositol phospho-oligosaccharides.

Solcoseryl has a number of beneficial effects. The most important of them include enhanced cellular glucose uptake, improvement of oxygen utilization and energy metabolism , neuroprotective effects, reduction of oxidative stress and apoptosis, accelerated wound healing and improvement of blood microcirculation.

Pumpkin seed oils are good source of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Active components include fatty acid, 19.4% saturated fatty acids (palmitic acid and stearic acid), 80.7% unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and oleic acid) , Tocopherol (β-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, δ-tocopherol), carotenoids including β-carotene and lutein, Phytosterols or plant sterols, Amino acid Glutamic and aspartic acid, leucine, valine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan are among the amino acids identified. It has many therapeutic activities like antioxidant activity, anti inflammatory, antimicrobial activity, and anti carcinogenic effect. It is thus a good candidate to counteract the ongoing development of oral mucositis.