HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Prophylaxis of radiation-associated mucositis in conventionally treated patients with head and neck cancer: a double-blind, phase III, randomized, controlled trial evaluating the clinical efficacy of an antimicrobial lozenge using a validated mucositis scoring system.

AbstractPURPOSE:
Mucositis occurs in almost all patients treated with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. The aim of this multicenter, double-blind, prospective, randomized trial was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of an economically viable antimicrobial lozenge (bacitracin, clotrimazole, and gentamicin [BcoG]) in the alleviation of radiation-induced mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
One hundred thirty-seven eligible patients were randomized to treatment with either antimicrobial lozenge (69 patients) or placebo lozenge (68 patients). The primary end point of the study was the time to development of severe mucositis from the start of radiotherapy. Secondary end points included severity and duration of mucositis, pain measurement, radiation therapy interruption, and quality of life. Mucositis was scored using a validated mucositis scoring system.
RESULTS:
Toxicity profiles were similar between the two arms of the study. The median time to development of severe mucositis from the start of radiotherapy was 3.61 weeks on BCoG and 3.96 weeks on placebo (P =.61). There were no statistically significant differences between the arms in the extent of severe mucositis as measured by physician, in oral toxicities as recorded by patients, or in radiotherapy delays.
CONCLUSION:
This study was conducted on the basis of a pilot study that demonstrated the BCoG lozenge to be tolerable and microbiologically efficacious. A validated mucositis scoring system was used. However, in this group of patients treated with conventional radiotherapy, the lozenge did not impact significantly on the severity of mucositis. Whether such a lozenge would be beneficial in treatment situations where rate of severe mucositis is higher (ie, in patients treated with unconventional fractionation or with concomitant chemotherapy) is unknown.
AuthorsS El-Sayed, A Nabid, W Shelley, J Hay, J Balogh, M Gelinas, R MacKenzie, N Read, E Berthelet, H Lau, J Epstein, P Delvecchio, P K Ganguly, F Wong, P Burns, D Tu, J Pater
JournalJournal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (J Clin Oncol) Vol. 20 Issue 19 Pg. 3956-63 (Oct 01 2002) ISSN: 0732-183X [Print] United States
PMID12351592 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Clinical Trial, Phase III, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local
  • Gentamicins
  • Bacitracin
  • Clotrimazole
Topics
  • Administration, Oral
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents (administration & dosage)
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local (administration & dosage)
  • Bacitracin (administration & dosage)
  • Clotrimazole (administration & dosage)
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Gentamicins (administration & dosage)
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms (radiotherapy)
  • Humans
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mouth Mucosa (drug effects, microbiology)
  • Prospective Studies
  • Quality of Life
  • Radiation Injuries (prevention & control)
  • Radiotherapy Dosage
  • Stomatitis (etiology, microbiology, prevention & control)
  • Treatment Outcome

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: