Oral Cryotherapy for Oral Mucositis in Patients Receiving Busulfan: A Retrospective/Prospective Descriptive Study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Hematology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Busulfan chemotherapy is a common conditioning regimen for blood and marrow transplantation.
• Busulfan can cause severe oral mucositis (OM), a painful side effect impacting treatment tolerance and outcomes.
• Current management strategies for OM have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of oral cryotherapy (OC) in mitigating oral mucositis (OM) induced by busulfan chemotherapy.
• To assess the impact of OC on OM severity and associated treatment complications.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study reviewing electronic health records of patients undergoing busulfan conditioning.
• Comparison of outcomes between a group receiving OC with busulfan (post-OC) and a group not receiving OC (pre-OC).
• Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and chi-square tests.

Main Results:

• Oral cryotherapy significantly decreased the severity of oral mucositis (OM) based on the World Health Organization scale.
• Patients receiving OC showed reduced need for total parenteral nutrition and opioid pain medication.
• A decrease in length of hospital stay and intensive care unit transfers for airway protection was observed in the OC group.

Conclusions:

• Oral cryotherapy (OC) is a safe and easily implementable intervention for reducing busulfan-induced oral mucositis (OM).
• OC can mitigate OM severity, decrease supportive care requirements, and potentially shorten hospital stays.
• Further research may explore optimal timing and protocols for OC in various chemotherapy regimens.