Prevention and treatment of mucositis in children with oral cancers: Practical recommendations

Oral mucositis is an inflammation of the mucosa of the oral cavity of various etiologies. This is a common and debilitating complication in children treated with chemoradiotherapy for cancer. Its management remains a major concern both for the doctor than the patient. It affects the quality of life of patients and families. It may initiate the functional and vital prognosis because of the judgment of cancer treatment. Several treatment options are available, but there is no clear consensus therapeutic especially for the pediatric population. We have identified, through a comprehensive literature search indexed publications on this subject in order to review the pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches that have been used to prevent and treat oral mucositis. Thus, current recommendations for the management of oral mucositis are very limited, and therefore the standard of care for this complication was palliative. In recent years several studies have revealed that the use of low-energy laser was particularly interesting in the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced or chemically induced mucositis. It significantly reduces the pain, the severity and duration of the ulcer by promoting wound healing. Randomized controlled trials with a large number of patients are expected to establish preventive and therapeutic protocols. Treatment with low power laser, known devoid of side effects, is a very promising oncology care to support radio-induced mucositis and chemotherapy. (C) 2016 Societe francaise de radiotherapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.