An Ayurveda Gargle Regimen in Management of Radiotherapy-induced Oral Mucositis

Background  Radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) in patients with head and neck cancer may lead to significant morbidity. OM may result in erythema, ulceration, and pseudomembrane formation. The usual time of onset is second or third week of radiotherapy (RT), after the doses of 16 to 18 Gy. OM may cause severe pain, significant weight loss, increased resource use, interruption or discontinuation of the treatment, and added cost of supportive care. Materials and Methods  Patients who underwent RT and chemoradiation (CTRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) from 2015 to 2016 were included. The patients who were treated with the add-on Ayurveda gargle regimen (AGR) of sapthachhadadi gandoosham were evaluated against patients treated with standard symptomatic care (SSC). Statistical Analysis  Chi-square test was used to compare the difference between the two groups in the present study with SPSS (SPSS version 20 for Windows package SPSS Science, Chicago, IL, USA). software. Result  Grade III to IV OM was lower in the AGR group when compared with the SSC group ( p < 0.001). Onset of OM was significantly delayed in patients from the AGR group ( p < 0.001). Conclusion  The AGR with sapthachhadadi gandoosham is effective in delaying the onset and reducing severity of OM in HNSCC, without compromising the rate of locoregional recurrence.