Assessing the Severity and Impact of Oral Mucositis after Autologous Transplantation for Myeloma: A Prospective Pilot Study Comparing the Patient-Reported Quality of Life and Objective Evaluation by a Healthcare Professional

Abstract

increasing self-expression. MT interventions were structured to achieve these goals and included: utilizing significant songs, providing opportunities for self-expression, normalizing the experience, and providing a means for control over the environment. The efficacy of MT interventions was assessed by patients' ability to: actively participate, maintain eye contact, attend to task, and appropriately express emotions during MT sessions. Conclusion: Socio-cultural suffering is the predominant issue addressed during MT sessions with adults diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma as determined by board-certified music therapists through observational data, Figure 1. Selected examples from care plan developed for HCT survivors. S225Abstracts / Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 24 (2018) S119-S290

Myeloma, melphalan, and the taste of transplantation

“…Studies comparing these two types of assessments have been done previously in the setting of ASCT for MM, for example, comparing PROs with 6-minute walk tests or clinician-assessed mucositis scores. 9,10 Given the complexity of performing gustometry testing and the lack of significant longitudinal variability in gustometry results following ASCT, PRO assessments currently remain the gold standard. However, as the authors note, being able to characterize dysgeusia types by flavor, more practically done via gustometry than by asking "Have you tasted anything sour in the past 24 hours?"…”

“…To answer this question, the field must first ascertain the gold standard for defining dysgeusia: should it be a patient‐reported tool (e.g., PRO instruments) or a patient‐performed one (e.g., chemical gustometry)? Studies comparing these two types of assessments have been done previously in the setting of ASCT for MM, for example, comparing PROs with 6‐minute walk tests or clinician‐assessed mucositis scores 9,10 . Given the complexity of performing gustometry testing and the lack of significant longitudinal variability in gustometry results following ASCT, PRO assessments currently remain the gold standard.…”