Oral Complications and Management Strategies for Patients Undergoing Cancer Therapy

Abstract

With cancer survival rate climbing up over the past three decades, quality of life for cancer patients has become an issue of major concern. Oral health plays an important part in one's overall quality of life. However, oral health status can be severely hampered by side effects of cancer therapies including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Moreover, prevention and treatment of these complications are often overlooked in clinical practice. The present paper aims at drawing health care professionals' attention to oral complications associated with cancer therapy by giving a comprehensive review. Brief comments on contemporary cancer therapies will be given first, followed by detailed description of oral complications associated with cancer therapy. Finally, a summary of preventive strategies and treatment options for common oral complications including oral mucositis, oral infections, xerostomia, and dysgeusia will be given.

Prise en charge des mucites orales chez les enfants cancéreux : Recommandations de bonnes pratiques en 2015

“…Voir cette chance annulée par un arrêt du traitement ou un report est intolérable, d'où l'intérêt de trouver les traitements pouvant contrer les effets néfastes Fig. 1 Recommandations de bonnes pratiques pour la prise en charge de la mucite orale chez l'enfant [33][34][35][36] KGF : facteur de croissance des kératinocytes ; LLLT : le laser de faible énergie des thérapies en oncologie. La mucite est donc la cible de plusieurs traitements adjuvants dont le laser fait partie.…”

“…Cependant, les symptômes douloureux peuvent encore êtres atténué de façon à améliorer la qualité de vie du patient. La douleur de la mucite orale est généralement soulagée par les analgésiques opioïdes [34]. Le diagnostic précoce et une intervention correcte de la mucite orale sont d'une grande importance pour la guérison et pour améliorer la qualité de vie des patients [35].…”

Suporte Odontológico Ao Paciente Pediátrico Oncológico No Município De Maringá – Pr

“…A radioterapia e a quimioterapia podem causar danos diretos aos tecidos moles e duros das estruturas orais e a toxicidade sistêmica pode dar origem a danos indiretos (ALBUQUERQUE, 2007). Estas complicações orais, agudas ou crônicas, podem surgir durante e após o tratamento do câncer e, frequentemente, incluem mucosite, disgeusia, xerostomia, doenças infecciosas, disfagia e hipossalivação (HALYARD, 2009;WONG, 2014).…”

Adverse Event Management of Oral Mucositis in Patients with Breast Cancer

“…The initial signs and symptoms of OM induced by conventional chemotherapeutic agents are typically a painful erythema of the oral mucosa starting within the first week of chemotherapy, followed by erosions and irregular ulceration with a white pseudomembrane. The lesions are typically located on the unkeratinised movable mucosa, may increase in size, and are associated with intense pain which can compromise swallowing, talking, and finally also nutrition and oral hygiene [6,7]. The damage to the oral mucosa leads to an impaired barrier function resulting in an increased risk for local as well as systemic infections.…”

“…The lesions can sometimes be large in size and are often associated with intense pain which can compromise nutrition and oral hygiene [5,6]. In addition, there is an increased risk for local and systemic infections due to treatment-induced compromised immunity and damaged oral mucosa [7]. Thus, accurate diagnosis of OM and prompt initiation of prophylaxis and treatment are mandatory.…”