Will your patients suffer from Oral Mucositis
Oral mucositis is a common, debilitating side effect of cancer therapy.
97% of patients receiving radiation for head and neck cancer develop oral mucositis28
70% of patients receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplantation develop oral mucositis5
Up to 40% of patients receiving conventional chemotherapy develop oral mucositis5
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Patient: Female
Age: 63
Diagnosis: Colorectal cancer
Treatment: 5FU containing regimen
Patient Background: Previously in good health
Development of oral mucositis:
Cycle 1: no oral mucositis
Cycle 2: mild inflammation
Cycle 3: severe oral mucositis, requirement for opioids
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Patient: Male
Age: 59
Diagnosis: Tongue cancer
Treatment: Combined radio and chemotherapy
Patient Background: Smoker, high alcohol intake, poor oral hygiene
Development of oral mucositis: 6 weeks intensity-modulated radiation therapy, severe oral mucositis in week 3, unable to eat and drink, requirement for parenteral feeding and opioids |
Patient: Female
Age: 51
Diagnosis: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
Treatment: Conditioning chemotherapy (methotrexate) prior to haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
Patient Background: Previously in good health
Development of oral mucositis: Redness and ulceration of the oral mucosa and development of septicaemia 4 days after receiving chemotherapy |
Real life experiences of oral mucositis:
Julie, 51, leukemia patient31
" I developed these really painful ulcers all over my mouth and throat. They were worse than having cancer, worse than the nausea and hair loss, worse than the transplant. I couldn't eat or drink for weeks because -swallowing was agony; I could barely talk and needed huge doses of morphine for the pain."
Nadine, 56, breast cancer patient32
The pain I suffered from this mouth problem was much worse than the complete mastectomy.