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The Mayo Clinic has been testing the antidepressant doxepin in a mouthwash to help treat symptoms. [ citation needed ] In 2011, the FDA cleared episil oral liquid for the management and relief of pain of oral lesions with various etiologies, including oral mucositis/stomatitis which may be caused by chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a serious complication of radiation therapy in cancer treatment where radiated bone becomes necrotic and exposed. [1] ORN occurs most commonly in the mouth during the treatment of head and neck cancer, and can arise over 5 years after radiation. [2]
Caphosol (EUSA Pharma) is a mouth rinse designed to moisten, lubricate and clean the oral cavity including the mucosa of the mouth, tongue and oropharynx which has been shown to prevent and treat oral mucositis in patients receiving radiation therapy or chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.
A radiation dose of 52 Gy is sufficient to cause severe salivary dysfunction. Radiotherapy for oral cancers usually involves up to 70 Gy of radiation, often given along with chemotherapy which may also have a damaging effect on saliva production. [8] This side effect is a result of radiation damage of the parasympathetic nerves.
Side effects are dose-dependent; for example, higher doses of head and neck radiation can be associated with cardiovascular complications, thyroid dysfunction, and pituitary axis dysfunction. [15] Modern radiation therapy aims to reduce side effects to a minimum and to help the patient understand and deal with side effects that are unavoidable.
Symptoms can be made worse by the effects of surgery, chemotherapy or other drugs given to treat the cancer. [5] Improved methods of radiotherapy have reduced the exposure of non-involved tissues to radiation, concentrating the effects on the cancer.
Oral cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) is usually treated with surgery alone, or in combination with adjunctive therapy, including radiation, with or without chemotherapy. [46]: 602 With small lesions (T1), surgery or radiation have similar control rates, so the decision about which to use is based on functional outcome, and complication rates.
Chemoradiotherapy (CRT, CRTx, CT-RT) is the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to treat cancer. [1] Synonyms include radiochemotherapy (RCT, RCTx, RT-CT) and chemoradiation. It is a type of multimodal cancer therapy. Chemoradiation can be concurrent [2] (together) or sequential (one after the other). [3]