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Mucosal protectants and their application for head and neck chemoirradiation
1Missouri Baptist Medical Center, St. Louis 63131-2374, USA.
Current Opinion in Oncology
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Protecting the oral mucosa from chemoirradiation involves managing infection and protecting basal stem cells. While no method fully prevents injury, several approaches offer partial protection, necessitating clinical introduction.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Mucosal injury from chemoirradiation damages basal epithelial stem cells, leading to depletion, inflammation, and infection.
- Current strategies aim to suppress infection, stimulate neutrophils, and protect basal epithelium.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing methods for protecting the mucosa from acute chemoirradiation effects.
- To highlight the need for clinical introduction of mucosal protectants.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on mucosal protectants and their efficacy.
- Analysis of strategies for managing chemoirradiation-induced mucosal injury.
Main Results:
- No method completely prevents mucosal injury or inflammation.
- Several approaches have demonstrated partial effectiveness in mitigating acute effects.
Conclusions:
- Clinical implementation of mucosal protectants is crucial.
- These agents can reduce morbidity and enable dose intensification for enhanced cancer treatment effectiveness.