Associações entre fatores de risco e complicações bucais em pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço tratados com radioterapia associada ou não à quimioterapia / Association between risk factors and oral complications in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy combined or not with chemotherapy

Objetivo: descrever as reações adversas que ocorreram em pacientes durante a radioterapia associada ou não à quimioterapia, bem como avaliar suas possíveis associações com fatores de risco. Métodos: neste estudo longitudinal prospectivo foram examinados 28 pacientes antes, durante e após completar seis meses do término do tratamento oncológico. Os dados coletados foram idade, gênero, cor da pele, tabagismo, etilismo. Sobre o tumor, foram registrados a localização, a classificação TNM (tamanho do tumor, presença de linfonodo acometido e metástase à distância), o tipo histológico, o grau de diferenciação, o número de frações da radioterapia e o tratamento oncológico proposto. Os pacientes foram encaminhados ao Projeto de Oncologia da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais e receberam adequação do meio bucal antes do tratamento oncológico. Durante a radioterapia foram coletados dados relativos à presença de mucosite, xerostomia, disfagia, ardência e candidose. Após análise descritiva dos dados, as associações entre efeitos adversos durante a radioterapia e fatores de risco foram verificadas usando os testes do Qui-quadrado e Exato de Fisher (p menor que 0,05). Resultados: foi encontrada maior frequência de pacientes do sexo masculino (78,6%), leucoderma (71,4%) com carcinoma de células escamosas (78,6%). A prevalência da mucosite grau I, II e III, xerostomia, disfagia, candidose e ardência foram de 10,7%; 82,2%; 7,1%; 96,4%; 53,6%; 28,6% e 57,1%, respectivamente. Associação estatisticamente significativa foi encontrada somente entre presença ou ausência de maxilares irradiados e mucosite (p=0,03). Conclusão: efeitos adversos ocorreram durante a radioterapia associada ou não à quimioterapia em pacientes com câncer em região de cabeça e pescoço. Associação significativa foi verificada entre o local de irradiação e a presença de mucosite.

Objective: This study described the adverse reactions that occurred in patients during radiotherapy combined or not with chemotherapy, and assessed their possible associations with risk factors. Method: Using a prospective cross-sectional design, 28 patients were evaluated before, during and six months after the end of cancer treatment. The following data were collected: age, gender, ethnicity, smoking and alcohol consumption. Information recorded about the tumor included primary site of tumor, TNM classification (tumor size, lymph node status and distant metastasis), histological type, differentiation grade, number of fractions of radiotherapy and oncologic treatment protocol. The patients were referred to the Oncology Project of the School of Dentistry of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and had their oral cavity prepared for cancer treatment. During radiotherapy, data were collected with respect to mucositis, xerostomia, dysphagia, burning sensation, and candidosis. After descriptive analysis of data, the associations between adverse effects raised during radiotherapy and risk factors were verified using the Chi-square and Fisher's Exact Test (p less than 0.05). Results: There was a predominance of male (78.6%), Caucasian (71.4%) patients with squamous cell carcinoma (78.6%). The prevalence of mucositis grades I, II, III, xerostomia, dysphagia, candida infections and burning sensation was 10.7%, 82.2%, 7.1%, 96.4%, 53.6%, 28.6% and 57.1%, respectively. A statistically significant association was found only between the presence or absence of irradiation of jaws and mucositis (p=0.03). Conclusion: Oral complications occurred during radiotherapy in combination or not with chemotherapy in patients with cancer in the head and neck region. A significant association was found between the site of irradiation and the presence of mucositis.

La mucositis y su tratamiento: protocolos de manejo y recomendaciones / Mucositis and its treatment: management and recommendations protocols

La mucositis es la inflamación del tejido oral y una de las complicaciones que se presentan con mayor frecuencia entre los pacientes sometidos a quimioterapia y radioterapia en el Departamento de Estomatología Pediátrica del Hospital Universitario del Valle, en la ciudad de Cali, entidad que cubre a todo el sur occidente colombiano. Debido a esto se realizó una revisión de la literatura con el fin de profundizar en el tema, para buscar diversas alternativas de manejo que puedan ayudar a disminuir su aparición, tratarla eficazmente, aliviar la sintomatología y mejorar la calidad de vida del paciente. De acuerdo con la literatura revisada el sucralfate ha presentado buenos resultados en las pruebas clínicas, por lo cual se recomendó su inclusión dentro del protocolo empleado en el Hospital Universitario del Valle para el manejo de la mucositis.

Mucositis is the inflammation of the oral tissue and it is one of the most frequently presented complications among the chemotherapy and radiotherapy subjected patients at the Pediatric Dentistry Department of Hospital Universitario del Valle in Cali. Due to this, a literature revision was carried out with the purpose of deepening in the topic, looking for diverse therapeutic alternatives that can help to diminish the appearance, to treat it efficiently and to alleviate the symptoms and to improve the patient’s life quality. Sucralfate, according to the literature, has presented good results in clinical tests, that are why the Hospital Universitario del Valle has adopted it in its mucositis therapy protocol.

Low energy laser for prevention of oral mucositis in patients receiving radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy in Pernambuco Cancer Hospital

Oral mucositis induced by antineoplastic therapy causes wide-range pain and discomfort resulting in decreased quality of life. The present study evaluated the benefits of low intensity laser and 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate in the prevention of oral mucositis induced by radiation, associated or not with chemotherapy, and considered degrees/severity, time of appearanceof the lesions and functional loss. Eighty-four outpatients were considered and 49 were included in this study and dividedinto two groups: Group 1 received laser treatments in three stages, starting three days before treatment until the end of therapy. Group 2 was instructed to do daily mouth rinses with chlorhexidine gluconate. The prevalence of clinical mucositis was 49%, and of functional mucositis, 28.6%, when the two groups were considered together. This percentage was smaller in the laser group, 44% for the clinical mucositis group and 24% for the functional. The two protocols were well tolerated andshowed benefits, mainly from the point of view of functionality, and delayed the onset and development of mucositis.