Validity and reliability of the Persian version of the oropharyngeal Mucositis quality of life scale

Background Oral mucositis is one of the serious complications of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy that significantly affects the quality of patients’ life. The Oropharyngeal Mucositis-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire (OMQoL) is an acceptable instrument for measuring the quality of life in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of OMQoL questionnaire. Methods This study was a cross-sectional and multi-centric research. After translation from English to Persian, back translation, and cultural adaptation, the Persian version of the questionnaire was prepared. One hundred forty-four patients suffering from oral mucositis referred to three different university affiliated hospitals related to Zahedan, Kerman and Tehran Universities of Medical Sciences, were participated in this study. Then the questionnaire was completed by trained interviewers. The reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and validity was measured through factor analysis, and construct validity (including discriminant validity, and convergent validity) methods. Results Cronbach's alpha in all dimensions was higher than 0.9 that indicated a perfect internal consistency. The results of factor analysis indicated that the dimensions specified in the Persian version were the same as the original version (Factor loading of all items > 0.4). The correlation coefficient for all items was more than 0.75, and the convergence validity was 100% in all dimensions. Conclusion The results of this study showed that the reliability, and validity of Persian version of OMQoL were acceptable, which can be used to measure the quality of life in patients with oral mucositis.

A Long-Term Follow-Up of Dental and Craniofacial Disturbances after Cancer Therapy in a Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma Patient: Case Report

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents. A boy aged seven years and five months was diagnosed with stage three group III embryonal parameningeal RMS with intracranial extension. He received chemotherapy for 23 weeks in combination with localized radiotherapy during the inductive phase of nine weeks (a total tumor dose of 5040 cGy). Three months later, he was referred to the department of pediatric dentistry for radiation-induced caries, the treatment of which was later terminated because of severe trismus and radiation-induced oropharyngeal mucositis. Three years later, the patient returned for the fitting of a prosthesis because of mastication problems. The dental treatments performed included: extraction, banding, composite resin restorations, root canal fillings, and stainless steel crown fabrication. An interim denture was fitted due to the poor retention of the fixed prosthesis. As the patient grew older, they developed facial asymmetry as a result of the prominent atrophy of their right cheek. By the age of 32, they had lost multiple teeth and exhibited severe facial deformity. Therefore, it is essential not only to involve a multidisciplinary medical team before, during, and after cancer therapy, but also to initiate long-term follow-ups given the potential effects of late sequelae after chemoradiation in multiple developmental areas.

Extraoral Photobiomodulation for Prevention of Oral and Oropharyngeal Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Interim Analysis of A Randomized, Double-Blind, Clinical Trial

PurposeTo assess the safety and efficacy of prophylactic extraoral photobiomodulation (PBM) for the prevention of oral and oropharyngeal mucositis (OM) on clinical outcomes and survival in patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOPSCC).MethodsOOPSCC patients who received radiotherapy (RT) were prospectively randomized to two groups: prophylactic extraoral PBM and placebo. OM grade (NCI), pain (VAS), analgesia, and anti-inflammatory prescriptions were assessed weekly. Quality of life questionnaires (QoL) were performed at the first and last day of RT. Following RT, participants were evaluated quarterly for oncological outcomes follow-up.Results55 patients met the inclusion criteria. The first occurrence of OM was observed at week 1, for the placebo group (p = 0.014). Later OM onset and severity was observed for the PBM group, with first occurrence at week 2 (p = 0.009). No difference in severe OM incidence was observed (p > 0.05). Lower mean pain score was noted at week 7 for the PBM group (2.1) compared to placebo group (4.5) (p = 0.009). Less analgesics (week 3; p = 0.009/week 7; p = 0.02) and anti-inflammatory prescription (week 5; p = 0.0346) were observed for the PBM group. Better QoL scores were observed for the PBM group at last day of RT (p = 0.0034). No difference in overall survival among groups, was observed in one year of follow-up (p = 0.889).ConclusionProphylactic extraoral PBM can delay OM onset, reduce pain, as well as reduced analgesic and anti-inflammatory prescription requirements. Extraoral PBM was associated with better QoL. There was no evidence of PBM impact on oncological outcomes. TRN:RBR-4w4swx (date of registration: 01/20/2020)

Role of hyaluronic acid in the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced oropharyngeal mucositis

One of the earliest and most common adverse events of radiotherapy in patients with oropharyngeal cancers is mucositis. Radiation-induced mucositis significantly impairs the quality of life, patient compliance, and sometimes even long-term treatment outcomes. Currently, there is a wide range of drugs and techniques for the prevention and treatment of this complication. Nevertheless, these methods are not always highly effective and often have their own adverse events; therefore, the search for a universal method still continues. The present review aims to analyze the efficacy of hyaluronic acid in the prevention and treatment of oropharyngeal mucositis.