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Oral
Complications of Cancer and Cancer
Therapy
Oral complications are common
in cancer patients, especially those
with head and neck cancer. These articles
describe oral complications caused
by chemotherapy and radiation therapy
and various methods of prevention
and treatment. The information
on oral complications of cancer and
cancer therapy is written for health
professionals by cancer experts, from
the National Cancer Institute. |
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Oral Complications of Cancer Treatment:
What the Oral Health Team Can Do
With more and more new cases of
cancer diagnosed each year, and the
shift to outpatient management, it
is likely that you will see some of
these patients in your practice. Because
cancer treatment can affect the oral
tissues, you need to know about potential
oral complications. Moreover, preexisting
or untreated oral disease can complicate
cancer treatment. Your role in patient
management can extend benefits beyond
the oral cavity.
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Oral
Complications of Cancer Treatment:
What the Oncology Team Can Do
Radiation to the head and neck
and chemotherapy for any malignancy
can cause oral side effects so debilitating
that patients may tolerate only lower,
less effective doses of cancer treatment,
may postpone scheduled treatments,
or may discontinue treatment entirely.
Preventing and managing oral complications
help support optimal cancer therapy,
enhancing both patient survival and
quality of life.
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Oral Care Provider's Reference Guide to Oncology Patients
Provides a quick reference on treating patients before, during, and after cancer treatment. It includes questions to ask the patient's oncology team before cancer treatment begins.
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Nausea and Vomiting (PDQ®): Supportive
Care - Health Professionals
Prevention and control of nausea
and vomiting are paramount in the
treatment of cancer patients. Despite
advances in pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic
management, nausea and vomiting remain
2 of the more distressing and feared
side effects to cancer patients and
their families. This article provides
a detailed understanding of the problem
for health professionals.
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Oral
Complications During Cancer Treatment
An excellent Internet course by
Dr Heddie Sedano (DDS DrOdont) of
the UCLA Periodontics Information
Center. Completion of the tutorial
qualifies for 4 units of California
continuing dental education and a
certificate. Highly recommended to
dentists.
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Evidence-based
Prevention/Treatment of Oral Mucositis
Oral Mucositis is a common debilitating
complication of cancer chemotherapy
and radiotherapy, occuring in about
40% of patients. Consequently this systematic
review of the literature on treatment
and prevention strategies for chemotherapy
and radiotherapy induced oral mucositis
has been conducted.
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The file is
in Adobe Acrobat's PDF format
and you will need to have Acrobat
Reader in order to view it. The
reader is free from Adobe. |
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Cochrane
Review
Interventions for preventing oral mucositis
or oral candidiasis for patients with
cancer receiving chemotherapy (excluding
head and neck cancer). From The Cochrane
Library, Issue 1, 2002.
Cochrane
Review
Interventions for treating oral mucositis
for patients with cancer receiving treatment.
From The Cochrane Library, Issue
1, 2002. |
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Swallowing
Problems:
Evaluation and Management of Oropharyngeal
Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer
Presented by Joy E. Gaziano, MA, CCC-SLP,
Lecturer at the University of South
Florida College of Medicine
An excellent paper that reviews the
normal anatomy and physiology of swallowing,
swallowing deficits related to head
and neck cancer, evaluation methods
and treatment strategies for management
of physical and psychosocial effects
of dysphagia.
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The file is
in Adobe Acrobat's PDF format
and you will need to have Acrobat
Reader in order to view it. The
reader is free from Adobe. |
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Singapore Medical Journal |
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Swallowing
Problems in Post Irradiated NPC Patients
Singapore Med J 2001 Vol 42(7) : 312-316
Little attention has been given to the
problems post irradiated NPC patients
face with swallowing. Usually these
problems are not picked up until several
months or years after the onset of swallowing
difficulties. During this period of
time, the patient is at risk of aspiration
pneumonia. This article presents three
patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
(NPC) developing swallowing problems
after radiotherapy as the primary modality
of treatment. All patients had advanced
stage NPC presenting with enlarged neck
nodes and underwent radical external
beam radiotherapy. All three patients
had both CN X and CN XII palsies and
had difficulty in both the oral and
pharyngeal phases of swallowing. It
highlight some of the problems faced
in managing their aspiration problems.
It also discusses the use of surgery
to overcome aspiration in these patients.
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The file is
in Adobe Acrobat's PDF format
and you will need to have Acrobat
Reader in order to view it. The
reader is free from Adobe. |
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What causes trismus?
Trismus is caused by damage to the
muscles used for chewing. During surgery,
trauma, or radiation therapy there is
commonly secondary damage to the areas
around the tumor site. As this damage
heals, the body forms scar tissue at
the site. As this scar tissue ages it
becomes less flexible. These changes
result in the limited jaw motion that
is identified with trismus. |
