Treatment Regimens

Factors associated with treatments and protocols

Not all cytotoxic drugs have the same toxicity on the oral mucosa. Table 1 summarizes the various treatments associated with an increased risk of oral mucositis. The dose administered and combination of concomitant drugs will also increase the risk of mucositis.

Table 1: Treatments associated with an increased risk of oral mucositis5

Treatments inducing mucositis

5-FU

Etoposide

Mitomycin

Amsacrine

Fludarabine

Mitotane

Bleomycin

Gefitinib

Mitoxantrone

Carboplatin

Gemcitabine

Paclitaxel

Carmustine

Hydroxyurea

Procarbazine

Chlorambucil

Idarubicin

Streptomycin

Cisplatin

Ifosamide

Sunitinib

Cyclophosphamide

Interferons

Temsirolimus

Cytabarine or Ara-C

Interleukin-2

Thioguanine

Dacarbazine

Irinotecan

Thiotepa

Dactinomycin

Lomustine

Topotecan

Daunorubicin

Mechlorethamine

Tyrosine kinase protein inhibitors

Doxorubicin

Melphalan

Vinblastine

Epirubicin

Mercaptopurine

Vincristine

Erlotinib

Methotrexate (MTX)

Vindesine

Estramustine

Mithramycin

Vinorelbine

The treatments are presented in alphabetical order, and not in order of their relative mucotoxic potential.

Some protocols using high doses of chemotherapy or polychemotherapy have been associated with a high incidence of mucositis:

  • Conditioning for an HSC autograft
  • Conditioning for an HSC allograft
  • Induction phase of the protocol for the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas
  • In pediatrics43

Table 243

PATHOLOGY

>

TREATMENT PROTOCOL

Ewing's sarcoma

>

VIDE (6 courses)

Osteosarcoma

>

High dose methotrexate (14 courses)

Neuroblastoma

>

Endoxan/VP16/platinum/vincristine

Burkitt's lymphoma

>

COPADM

Anaplastic lymphoma

>

Methotrexate/endoxan/doxorubicin/vinblastine/dexamethasone

Tables 3 and 4 show the main conditioning protocols for autologous and allogenic HSC grafts and also the polychemotherapy for some hematological malignancies and show the incidence of oral mucositis in these patients.

Table 3: Mucotoxic nature of conditioning protocols for an HSC graft

Protocol (number of patients)

Treatments/dosage

Incidence of mucositis

Reference

Autograft

 

 

 

Melphalan (n=109)

Melphalan iv

Overall: 90%
46% Grades 3-4

Blijlevens N
J Clin Oncol 200810

BEAM (n=88)

BCNU
Cytosine Arabinoside
Etoposide
Melphalan

Overall: 83%
42% Grades 3-4

Blijlevens N
J Clin Oncol 200810

Allograft

 

 

Bu-Cy-VP (n=31)

Busulfan

Etoposide

Cyclophosphamide

100% Bearman Grades II-IV*

Zander AR

Clin Cancer Res 199720

TBI-Cy (n=25)

12 Gy radiation for 3 days in 6 fractions -
Cyclophosphamide

96% Bearman Grades I-II*

Kroger N

Bone Marrow Transplant 200119

Radiation

Cyclophosphamide-etoposide-carboplatin (n=35)

2 Gy radiation twice a day: D-8, -7, and -6
Cyclophosphamide
Etoposide
Carboplatin

94% Grades 3-4

Gabriel DA
Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 200521

Bu-Cy (n=69)

Busulfan
Cyclophosphamide

90% Bearman Grades I-II*

Rosenthal MA
Leuk Lymphoma 199422

Gy: gray - iv: intravenous

* Bearman Grades: I - pain and/or ulceration without using morphine iv, II - pain and/or ulceration AND using morphine iv, III - gastric tube, IV - death

Table 4: Examples of cancer protocols and incidence of associated mucositis: hemotological malignancies

Protocol (number of patients)

Treatments/dosage

Incidence of mucositis (Grades)

Reference

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Burkitt)

COPADM,

(MTX 3 g/m²)

LMB 96

Intermediate risk

PREPHASE WITH COP:

Cyclophosphamide

Oncovin (vincristine)

Prednisone

+ methotrexate (MTX) intrathecally (IT)

 

INDUCTION WITH 2 CONSECUTIVE COPADM:

Cyclophosphamide

Oncovin

Prednisone

Adriamycin doxorubicin

HD* MTX

CONSOLIDATION WITH 2 CYM:

Cytarabine + IT cytarabine

HD MTX

MAINTENANCE:

Cyclophosphamide

Oncovin

Prednisone

HD MTX + IT MTX

COPADM1:

43% (3-4)

COPADM2:

42% (3-4)

M1:

14% (3-4)

Patte C

Blood 200723

COPADM,

(MTX 8 g/m²)

LMB 96

High risk

PREPHASE WITH COP:

Idem

 

INDUCTION WITH 2 CONSECUTIVE COPADM:

Cyclophosphamide

Oncovin

Prednisone

Adriamycin doxorubicin

HD + IT MTX

 

CONSOLIDATION WITH 2 CYVE:

Cytarabine

HD Ara-C

Etoposide

 

MAINTENANCE, 4 cycles (M1-M4):

dt M1: COP + MTX

Overall:

81% (3-4)

COP:

5% (3-4)

COPADM1:

70% (3-4)

COPADM2:

>50% (3-4)

CYVE1 and 2:

10-30% (3-4)

M1:

30% (3-4)

Patte C

Blood 200723

*HD: high dose

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