As with any medical treatment, chemotherapy can have different effects on different people. Depending on which drug or drugs are administered, where and how they are applied, what dose is used, and what kind of cancer is being treated, these chemicals can cause a variety of side effects, most of which are quite unpleasant for patients. Some side effects are obvious or well-known – the loss of hair, nausea, changes in appetite – while others receive less attention, though they can be just as painful. In fact, one of the most debilitating side effects of chemotherapy is the development of sores in the mouth, a condition known as oral mucositis.
What is the link between mouth sores and chemotherapy, what are the causes, and is there any way to help relieve oral mucositis symptoms? Keep reading as the team at Chemo Mouthpiece® answers these very questions.
What Causes Mouth Sores After Chemotherapy?
The drugs used in chemotherapy treatments are selected specifically for their ability to target and destroy the fast-growing cells found in cancerous tissue. While chemo drugs can be very effective, they often attack other areas of the body where cells rapidly divide – healthy areas, such as the mouth, hair, nails, and bone marrow. The collateral damage of these drugs’ war on cancer is damage to otherwise healthy areas of the body, which is what causes the terrible side effects so often associated with chemotherapy.
When these toxic chemicals reach the vulnerable mucous membranes in the mouth, they begin to break down the tissue, causing the painful sores, bleeding, and inflammation that many patients experience. These symptoms constitute oral mucositis, a debilitating condition that can lead to any number of complications ranging from inconvenient to life-threatening. Up to 40% of patients undergoing chemo will face some level of oral mucositis symptoms; for high-dose chemotherapy patients, that number can be as high as 80%. (Source)
Treating the Symptoms of Oral Mucositis
Several over the counter (OTC) and homemade remedies supposedly offer relief from oral mucositis, though the efficacy of these products is often questionable at best. The most common treatment used by oral mucositis sufferers is a mouthwash aimed at reducing pain and inflammation while keeping the mouth clean and fighting any possible infections. Some patients use simple salt water for this, though a mouthwash made with baking soda can be effective as well.
More powerful over-the-counter mouthwashes are available at local drugstores, though these tend to be about as effective as the homemade washes for most patients. Other popular products include oral gels or homemade baking soda salves that can be applied directly to sores to reduce pain. Each of these options may provide some amount of aid to patients, but the simple fact remains that they are only helpful after the symptoms of oral mucositis have appeared. In other words, they make it easier to deal with the problem but do little to prevent it.
Methods to Prevent Mouth Sores from Occurring After Chemotherapy
Though no method yet exists to completely prevent the emergence of oral mucositis after chemotherapy, patients do have a way to limit its severity before the symptoms appear. The principle behind this prevention is known as “cryotherapy,” the application of cold temperatures to cause a reaction in the body. This is the same principle that leads athletes to take ice water baths, and it’s the reason you might slap a bag of frozen peas over your black eye to reduce the pain and swelling. When used to fight oral mucositis, however, the goal is a little different.
The reason doctors and nurses distribute ice chips and popsicles to patients receiving chemotherapy infusions is not to reduce swelling but to shrink the blood vessels in the mouth (in much the same way that they shrink when you eat ice cream too fast and experience brain freeze). By causing these vessels to constrict, a patient can limit the chemo drugs’ access to the sensitive tissues of the mouth; because oral mucositis is caused by the presence of these toxic chemicals, limiting the amount circulating through your mouth can drastically reduce oral mucositis pain and discomfort.
Unfortunately, ice chips and popsicles have proven to be imperfect vehicles for cryotherapy, since they tend to simply sit in the bottom of the mouth, cooling the area around the tongue and not much else. Swallowing a large amount of melted ice may cause nausea/vomiting, and it would be difficult or impossible to use ice chips for extended periods of time such as with lengthy infusions and long half-life chemotherapy drugs.
Instead, patients may want to try the full-mouth cooling provided by the Chemo Mouthpiece®, an FDA cleared cryotherapy device clinically proven to reduce the incidence and severity of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis in adult patients. This simple, easy-to-use device lowers the temperature of the entire oral cavity – front to back and top to bottom and can be used during chemotherapy treatment and at home after treatment. Don’t rely on bits of ice to fight your oral mucositis symptoms; try the Chemo Mouthpiece today.
Oral Cryotherapy for Fighting Mouth Ulcers Caused by Chemotherapy
If you or someone you know is plagued by mouth sores while battling cancer, know that help is available. Don’t resign yourself to the pain of oral mucositis; speak to your doctor to find out if the Chemo Mouthpiece is right for you. To learn more about how this simple medical device for mouth sores can improve your quality of life as you undergo chemotherapy treatments, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.