VOLUME 16 - NUMBER 2 / March - April (Original article / Artículo original)
Carlos Ávila-Sánchez, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología (HITO), Querétaro, Qro., México
Jessica Paola Purizaca-Bazán, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología (HITO), Querétaro, Qro., México
Georgina Félix-Bermúdez, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología (HITO), Querétaro, Qro., México
María Andrea Ellis-Irigoyen, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología (HITO), Querétaro, Qro., México
Ma. de Lourdes Vega-Vega, Dirección médica, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología Querétaro, Qro. México
Gabriela Escamilla-Asiaín, Dirección médica, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología Querétaro, Qro. México
Introduction: Oral mucositis (OM) is a common complication associated with cancer treatment, and it can range from mild to severe degree. Up to 80% of children undergoing chemotherapy will experience some degree of OM, which can get to increase mortality by up to 40% in severe cases. Although OM incidence differs according to cancer type and treatment regimen, children with hematological malignancies experience higher incidence and prevalence than children diagnosed with solid tumors. According to the above, OM is likely to represent a major cause for common protocol-indicated dose reduction and, hence, for treatment delay. Therefore, this work analyzes approaches that been used to impact on OM prevention and opportune treatment, in addition to contributing to yet-unpublished national statistics. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive study of 157 cancer-diagnosed pediatric patients attended to during the period from September 2014 to June 2016 and who were at risk for experiencing an OM event during their treatment stage. Results: OM occurrence was 21.6% and annual prevalence was 2.6% out of a total of 1731 assessments. Conclusions: Our results are promising, and expanding the sample size, as well the perspective of collaboration with other institutions is suggested in order to promote a standardized oral care protocol for children diagnosed with cancer.
Keywords: Oral mucositis. Pediatric cancer. Oral care protocol.
