Effect of local hypothermia in prevention or reduction of chemotherapy induced mucositis signs

Oral mucositis frequently occurs in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. It is hypothesized that Oral Cooling with ice chips or cubes cause local vasoconstriction thus cause less exposure to agents & then mucositis development. In this study, this theory was examined on 14 patients in 3 consecutive cycles in which stomatitis developed in the 1st cycle of treatment. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the Ice-Therapy (mouth-cooling) in prevention or decreasing symptoms of chemotherapeutic-related stomatitis. Date was obtained on a total of 100 out-patients initiating chemotherapy regimens. The patients reported different rates of stomatitis received ice cubes in their 2nd cycle of treatment during the drug infusion & a few minutes after it. In the next cycle, the same patients were evaluated without mouth cooling. The severity of mucositis were measured based on the patient's judgment & scaled on WHO grading system in the 7th & 10th days. Statistically, comparison of severity rates of mucositis between 3 consecutive cycles were performed by mean, p value, GAMMA coefficient & Friedman test. Statistical approach of data between 3 cycles determined that severity rates of mucositis have been decreased significantly between 1st & 2nd cycles (p<0.01, gamma coefficient: 65%) But this relationship has not been obtained in comparison between 2nd & 3rd cycles so it has been speculated that Oral Cooling has no useful effect on the prevention of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. Oral Cooling has no evidence of benefit in improvement or decreasing of the chemotherapy induced lesions.