Evaluation of salivary flow in patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a retrospective study

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective treatment for hematological diseases but it is frequently associated with oral complications such as hyposalivation and xerostomia, particularly in cases of chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate unstimulated salivary flow in patients who underwent transplantations at least five years previously and to investigate possible associations between hyposalivation and systemic and oral chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.

This retrospective cross-sectional study included 27 patients treated at the National Cancer Institute of Brazil (INCA), with a minimum of five years post-allogeneic transplantation. Clinical data were obtained from medical records. Unstimulated saliva was collected following the protocol described by Davies et al., and salivary flow was classified according to Flink et al. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 18.0 software.

Most patients presented sialometry within normal limits (63.0%), with a median of 0.5 mL/min. Xerostomia was reported by 33.3% of participants. The prevalence of systemic chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease was 81.5%, while that of oral chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease was 63.0%. No statistically significant associations were observed between hyposalivation and systemic or oral chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Although most patients maintain adequate salivary function five years after the transplantation, xerostomia remains a clinically relevant symptom. The absence of statistical association with chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease suggests the need for further studies to explore other contributing factors.