Abstract
Background: Oral supportive care for cancer patients received medical insurance coverage in 2012 in Japan. Management includes not only prevention of wound infection and perioperative pneumonia but also treatment of oral complications during chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer patients. We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the efficacy of oral supportive care for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive 1,142 cases received anticancer chemotherapy in our hospital from April 2013 to March 2017. Results: Patients were 633 males and 509 females aged 23-92 years (median 66). Primary sites were lung in 246, esophagus in 193, breast in 137, head and neck in 112, and others in 454. Treatment was chemotherapy in 752, and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in 390. Before beginning chemotherapy, all patients received a dental check and acquired tooth brushing techniques. We compared the oral hygiene status in 752 patients before the beginning of therapy and at the 1-month check. Rates of improved, stable and regression status were 56.9%, 23.5%, and 19.6%. Regression appeared due to worsening of general condition, and also to oral mucositis among head and neck cancer patients. Oral supportive care was continued to maintain good oral hygiene, detect oral complications early and manage them with dental treatment, dental extraction, mechanical cleaning, medicine, mouthwash and topical ointment and analgesics. Oral complications of ≥ Grade 3 (NCI-CTC AE ver. 3.0) were antiresorptive agents-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, teeth infections, and oral mucositis occurred during treatment. There was a significant difference in the incidence of oral complications between more and less than 3 months from the latest dental visit at the start of chemotherapy (p < 0.02). Conclusions: Oral supportive care for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy should begin before the start of treatment and continue until the successful completion of treatment, especially for the deteriorated patients, head and neck cancer patients, and patients who did not receive dental checkups and cleaning for more than 3 months. Legal entity responsible for the study: Kobe Minimally Invasive Cancer Center Funding: None Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
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