Oral Mucositis

  Signs and symptoms of oral mucositis include: Redness (erythema), cracking, shiny and swollen mucosa Sores usually appearing as round or linear yellow/white plaques. Small ulcers may only be mildly discomforting, while larger and more extensive ones may cause severe debilitating pain 8 Soreness or pain in the mouth or throat Bleeding in the mouth Yellowish white covering or film over the sores (pseudo membrane) Difficulty chewing, drinking, swallowing or talking Dryness or mild burning sensation Soft, whitish patches or pus Increased mucous or thicker saliva Swollen and bleeding gums, due to worsening of pre-existing gingivitis The symptoms usually begin with mild focal changes. In extreme cases (confluent mucositis) the mucosa of entire mouth and tongue can be coated by a millimetre thick white mucus coating. Together the mucus, excess saliva and pain can make it difficult to eat.

 A mouthwash consisting of diphenhydramine, lidocaine and antacids significantly reduced pain from oral mucositis among patients receiving radiation for head and neck cancer, according to results of a randomized phase 3 trial published in JAMA. “Radiation therapy may cause mouth sores because it is designed to kill rapidly growing cells, such as cancer cells,” Terence Tai-Weng Sio, MD, MS, assistant professor of radiation oncology and radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, healthy cells in the mouth also divide and grow rapidly, and may be damaged during radiation therapy, which can cause discomfort. We are glad to have identified a proven method to help treat the discomfort of this side effect.” Sio and colleagues evaluated 275 patients (mean age, 61 years; 21% women) who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancer and had an oral mucositis pain score of 4 points or higher on a scale of 0 to 10. The researchers randomly assign...