Laser phototherapy as a treatment for radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis

Abstract

Oral mucositis is a harmful side effect of radiotherapy (RT) on the head and neck region. There are encouraging reports on the beneficial aspects of the use of laser light on the treatment of oral mucositis. This paper reports the efficacy of laser phototherapy (LPT) on the treatment of oral mucositis in a patient undergoing RT after surgical removal of a squamous cell carcinoma with osseous invasion of the maxilla. Palatal and commissural lesions were treated with l660 nm, 40 mW, ∅=4 mm 2 , in contact mode, 5 x 2.4 J/cm 2 per point, 14.4 J/cm 2 per session. For treating the lesion on the patient's nasal mucosa, LPT (∅=4 mm 2 , l780 nm, 70 mW, 3 x 2.1 J/cm 2 per point, 6.3 J/cm 2 per session, contact mode) was used on the external area of the nose. A single dose (2.4 J/cm 2 ) with the l660 nm laser, as described before, was applied on the entrance of each nostril. LPT was used 3 times/week during 4 weeks. Treatment results indicate that the use of LPT on oral mucositis was effective and allowed the patient to carry on the RT without interruption. However, long-term and controlled clinical trials are necessary to establish both preventive and curative protocols using LPT.

A enfermagem ante os desafios enfrentados pela família na alimentação de criança em quimioterapia

“…Tal terapia promove analgesia e tem efeito anti-inflamatório nos tecidos bucais. Assim, permite ao paciente continuar o tratamento quimioterápico ou radioterápico sem interrupções decorrentes da mucosite e com maior qualidade de vida (8).…”

Actualités de la prévention et du traitement des mucites orales chez les enfants cancéreux : recommandations pratiques

“…Elle est de 40 à 76 % chez les patients recevant une chimiothérapie et peut affecter 90 % des patients recevant une radiothérapie de la tête et du cou [10]. Ces pourcentages augmentent lorsque la chimiothérapie est associée à une radiothérapie [6,11].…”

“…Les enfants sont les plus touchés car leur épithélium a un taux mitotique plus élevé. Plusieurs approches thérapeutiques pour la traiter ont été utilisées, mais, aucune intervention n'a été en mesure de prévenir et de traiter elle-même les mucites orales [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Ceci risque d'engager le pronostic vital des enfants cancé-reux nécessitant un traitement leur maladie.…”

“…Plusieurs possibilités thérapeutiques contre la mucite orale sont disponibles, mais il n'y a pas de consensus thérapeutique clair surtout pour la population pédiatrique [7]. Le laser de basse énergie, découvert depuis deux décennies, constitue une thérapeutique prometteuse [1,6,7] …”

Efetividade profilática e terapêutica do laser de baixa intensidade na mucosite bucal em pacientes submetidos ao tratamento do câncer

“…Por ser uma técnica não invasiva, simples e atraumática, sem relatórios clínicos de toxicidade, a aplicação de luz é ideal para o tratamento de tecidos sem risco de danificar as células saudáveis [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] .…”