Novel herbal-antioxidant topical gel for managing chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in oral cancer patients: A randomized controlled trial

TL;DR

A new herbal-antioxidant gel was tested and found more effective than a standard mouthwash in reducing chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in cancer patients.

Contribution

A novel herbal-antioxidant topical gel was developed and shown to significantly reduce mucositis severity and pain compared to benzydamine.

Findings

The herbal gel reduced mucositis severity significantly more than benzydamine (p < 0.001).

Patients using the gel experienced lower pain levels and faster mucosal recovery.

The herbal gel had no reported side effects.

Abstract

Oral mucositis is a side effect of oral cancer chemotherapy, which is painful and frequent, usually interfering with the continuity
and quality of life. This was a randomized controlled trial of a topical gel comprising of novel herbal-antioxidants when compared to
standard benzydamine mouthwash in 60 subjects. WHO and VAS scales were used to evaluate the severity of the mucositis and its pain in
21 days. The novel gel exhibited much less decrease in the degree of mucositis (1.2 ± 0.4 vs 2.6 ± 0.6; p < 0.001) and
pain levels (2.1 ± 0.9 vs 4.8 ± 1.3) and quicker recovery of the mucosal wound and no side effects. The new topical agent
was more used to reduce the severity and duration of oral mucositis, benefiting the patients and enhancing their recovery.