Evaluation of oral pain in patients with cavum cancer treated with cancer chemotherapy

Abstract

Objective. This study aims to evaluate oral pain experienced by patients with nasopharyngeal cancer after administration of anticancer chemotherapy protocol. Materials and Methods. This is a prospective study conducted on patients with nasopharyngeal cancer treated with chemotherapy at the Anti-Cancer Center (CAC) in Annaba over a period of 2 years. Results. Out of the 80 patients recruited in our study, it was found that oral pain was only felt at the mucosal level, and there was a statistically significant relationship between pain and the intensity of mucosal lesion (mucositis) (p = 0.001). Pain was experienced by 36 patients (45%, 95% CI); with a grade 1 (mild discomfort) intensity in 19 patients (52.78%), grade 2 (mild pain) in 15 patients (41.67%) and grade 3 (moderate pain) in 2 patients (5.5%). Conclusion. In order to improve the quality of life of cancer patients, determining the incidence and intensity of oral pain is essential for all patients treated with chemotherapy in order to guide therapeutic choices and evaluate the effectiveness of analgesic treatments.