An Ayurveda Gargle Regimen in Management of Radiotherapy-induced Oral Mucositis

Abstract

Background Radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) in patients with head and neck cancer may lead to significant morbidity. OM may result in erythema, ulceration, and pseudomembrane formation. The usual time of onset is second or third week of radiotherapy (RT), after the doses of 16 to 18 Gy. OM may cause severe pain, significant weight loss, increased resource use, interruption or discontinuation of the treatment, and added cost of supportive care. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent RT and chemoradiation (CTRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) from 2015 to 2016 were included. The patients who were treated with the add-on Ayurveda gargle regimen (AGR) of sapthachhadadi gandoosham were evaluated against patients treated with standard symptomatic care (SSC). Statistical Analysis Chi-square test was used to compare the difference between the two groups in the present study with SPSS (SPSS version 20 for Windows package SPSS Science, Chicago, IL, USA). software. Result Grade III to IV OM was lower in the AGR group when compared with the SSC group (p < 0.001). Onset of OM was significantly delayed in patients from the AGR group (p < 0.001). Conclusion The AGR with sapthachhadadi gandoosham is effective in delaying the onset and reducing severity of OM in HNSCC, without compromising the rate of locoregional recurrence.

Integrative Cancer Care Unit: An institutional experiment towards Integrative Oncology

“…In continued patient centric efforts, the study conducted in this hospital revealed the statistically significant reduction in Radiation Induced Oral Mucositis during radiotherapy for HNSCC with an Ayurveda Gargle regimen and with the added advantage of lesser recurrence after follow up of three years [ 11 ].…”

“…After three years the data was again presented and discussed. Later the paper was published with three years follow up [ 11 ]. Thereafter, our Medical Director suggested a Randomized Controlled Trial for the Oral Mucositis.…”