Chemotherapy is a rare example of a treatment that can often feel worse than the illness it seeks to alleviate. That’s because chemo drugs are toxic; they are intended to attack and damage or destroy cancerous cells in the body. But there are almost always side effects, which range from mild to severe. If you or someone you know has gone through or is currently going through chemo, you may know that one of the most debilitating and painful side effects of chemotherapy is the occurrence of mouth sores and mouth ulcers called stomatitis or, more commonly, oral mucositis. This is a side effect of many commonly used chemotherapy drugs, with many factors impacting its onset and severity. Mouth sores can occur throughout the oral cavity including on the hard and soft palate, tongue, gums, cheeks and lips.
A significant proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy will experience some level of stomatitis or oral mucositis. Besides being painful, mouth sores can cause clinically significant problems including dose-reductions or delays in chemo treatments, prescription opioid use for pain, weight loss from difficulty eating, pathway for infections, and an increased rate of ER visits and hospitalizations. With the onset of mouth sores, it may also be difficult to talk and to sleep which affects quality of life.
How Does Chemotherapy Work?
For those not versed in the basics of oncology, chemotherapy is probably the most common cancer treatment available. It’s an example of what doctors call a “systemic” treatment, meaning it affects the entire body. If you get a weekly or biweekly infusion of chemo drugs, that medication circulates throughout your entire body, which is why chemotherapy is often used in tandem with more localized treatments – such as radiation therapy – to seek out and destroy stray cancer cells that may have wandered into other systems in the body.
Because it’s systemic, however, the side effects of chemo can be felt throughout the body as well. The very things that make chemotherapy drugs effective against cancer are often the things that make chemo so devastating to the body; these toxic chemicals are primed to seek out and attack cells that rapidly divide and grow – a signature trait of cancer cells. However, the medication can’t tell friend from foe and often winds up attacking healthy tissues that exhibit those same traits, especially the hair, nails, bone marrow, and mucous membranes of the mouth and digestive tract.
Can You Get Mouth Sores from Chemo?
There are many side effects that are instantly associated with chemotherapy treatment. Hair loss is perhaps the most widely recognized side effect of these treatments. However, a side effect that’s less discussed but much more dangerous is oral mucositis, a condition in which painful sores develop in the mouth and cause several serious problems.
As mentioned above, chemo is a systemic treatment; that means it affects the entire body, including the mouth. When the chemotherapy drugs circulate through the patient’s system and eventually reach the mucous membranes that line the mouth and tongue, they begin to break down those vulnerable tissues, causing open wounds (sores) to form in the mouth. Not only are these sores painful, but they can also bleed and become inflamed or even infected – a potentially life-threatening development for someone with cancer.
The Cost of Mouth Sores Caused by Chemo
It’s no secret that the American medical system often leaves patients with mountains of medical bills following treatment, a fact that’s painfully obvious to those with a serious illness, such as cancer. Stays in the hospital, doses of chemo drugs, and extensive palliative care can add up and the cost of chemo-induced oral mucositis only adds to this problem.
Treating oral mucositis can easily require patients to spend tens of thousands of dollars on additional care. In fact, a 2008 study published in the journal Dental Clinics of North America found that a single-point increase in the severity of oral mucositis (which is generally measured on a scale of 1-4) led to as much as $25,000 in mucositis-related hospital bills for patients. That’s because this uptick in severity was accompanied by more than twice the risk of serious infection, 2.6 more days in the hospital, 2.6 more days using narcotic painkillers, and 2.7 more days of getting nutrition through an IV.
Patients who had greater oral mucositis symptoms also had almost four times the risk of death in the first 100 days of treatment. All told, the effects of this condition can have an incredible impact on a patient’s physical and financial health.
Fighting Mouth Sores Caused by Chemo
There is often little a patient can do to address the appearance of mouth sores caused by chemo. Once they appear, mouth rinses can be used to help reduce the chances of infection, and patients should follow a strict oral care routine during chemo. Only cryotherapy – the use of cold temperatures to treat the body – has been shown to be effective at reducing the onset and severity of oral mucositis, and the Chemo Mouthpiece® is proven to be very effective as an oral cryotherapy device. Not only is the Chemo Mouthpiece safe and easy to use, but it can cool the entire oral cavity, temporarily shrinking the blood vessels in the area and preventing much of the toxic medication from reaching the soft tissues of the mouth. Try the Chemo Mouthpiece today and see the difference for yourself.
Try a Clinically Proven Option for Reducing the Risk of Chemo Mouth Sores
Patients going through chemo often complain about the problems that come with mouth sores. Eating, drinking, sleeping and talking can become very difficult, and the pain from mouth sores may even necessitate the use of opioid pain medications. The expenses related to oral mucositis can be significant too. Luckily, the Chemo Mouthpiece can help many patients reduce the occurrence and severity of their symptoms, improving their quality of life and saving them money in the process. To learn more about the Chemo Mouthpiece® and how it can help you or a loved one through chemo, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
The ulcers and sores that can form inside the mouth following chemotherapy can be very painful and expensive for patients. This condition, called oral mucositis, is one of the leading complications related to cancer treatments, as well as one of the most debilitating. Patients routinely report that oral mucositis is one of the worst side effects of chemotherapy drugs, prompting many to seek an effective treatment for this ailment.
While there is not yet a way to completely prevent oral mucositis in those who are susceptible, some treatment options are much more effective than others. To learn how you can stop mouth sores from chemotherapy, read on as our experts discuss this issue.
What Causes Mouth Sores After Chemo?
It’s no secret that the drugs used in chemotherapy target cancerous tissues and healthy tissues alike, the drugs ravage the body even as they attempt to save it – a paradox made evident in the effects of chemo on the mucosal membranes of the mouth. As the drugs circulate through a patient’s blood vessels, reaching the farthest corners of the body, their effects begin to manifest in unintended ways; for instance, exposure to the toxic medications cause the sores, ulcers, and inflammation associated with oral mucositis.
Other Symptoms of Oral Mucositis
These sores can be extremely painful, preventing many patients from eating or drinking and potentially leading to malnutrition that can jeopardize a patient’s treatment regimen. As the sores linger, bleeding can occur, and the open wounds can become infected if not treated properly – a complication that should be avoided at all costs.
Costs of Oral Mucositis
It may seem like a relatively minor inconvenience, but oral mucositis can be quite costly for patients, especially in its more severe forms. In one 2009 study, the incidence of oral mucositis cost patients between $1,700 and $6,000 in additional charges, depending on the severity of the condition. This can come in the form of extra days in the hospital, delays in treatment, or the extended use of parenteral nutrition or pain medication. (Source)
Treating Mouth Sores Caused by Chemotherapy
Though science has yet to develop a perfect treatment for this difficult, costly ailment, patients do have some options for preventative care that can help limit the negative effects of chemo on healthy mouth tissues. These typically come in one of several different forms, including medication, mouthwashes, or cryotherapy.
Medication
The options for medications that reduce risk of oral mucositis are quite limited, although one stands out as a potentially effective aid for some patients. Palifermin is a powdered medication that is mixed with a liquid and administered through an IV; it’s used to prevent the formation of mouth sores and to help them heal faster when they do form. Unfortunately, this drug is only used in patients who have cancers of the blood or bone marrow, specifically, so it’s not helpful to many who suffer from oral mucositis.
Mouthwashes
There are many mouthwashes available to help treat oral mucositis, some of which can even be made at home. Certain cancer centers distribute saline solutions or topical anesthetics in the form of a mouthwash to patients, and some find relief in baking soda mouthwashes. However, each of these treatments have one shortfall in common: they are only useful once the sores in the mouth have formed. In other words, you must already be experiencing the painful symptoms of oral mucositis before a mouthwash will be of any use, and any benefits you see will likely be short-term.
Cryotherapy
In a nutshell, cryotherapy is a proactive protection method that uses cold temperatures to affect the body’s systems; when used to address oral mucositis, frozen objects – usually ice chips or popsicles – are placed in the mouth while the patient receives their chemotherapy treatment. The objective is to shrink the blood vessels of the mouth with low temperatures, thereby limiting the amount of toxic chemo compounds that can reach vulnerable tissues. The advantage of cryotherapy is that it can limit the degree to which oral mucositis occurs at all, making it ideal as a preventative measure. It’s the same basic principle that causes “brain freeze” after eating a frozen treat, but the effect is beneficial in this case.
Though it is arguably the most helpful method of addressing oral mucositis, cryotherapy is only as effective as the delivery system a patient uses. Ice chips 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 during lengthy infusions and with long half-life chemotherapy drugs.
By comparison, the Chemo Mouthpiece® offers more effective cryotherapy because it cools the entire oral cavity uniformly for the entire duration of chemo infusion and at home after treatment. This brings greater protection from oral mucositis symptoms than what is offered by ice chips or other common treatments.
Find Relief from Oral Mucositis with the Chemo Mouthpiece
For patients suffering from cancer, dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation can seem overwhelming. That’s why a cancer survivor and engineer invented the Chemo Mouthpiece – so patients have one less thing to worry about during an already difficult time. Find relief from the pain and expense of oral mucositis with the clinically proven Chemo Mouthpiece. For more information, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
Although there are many unpleasant side effects linked to chemotherapy, oral mucositis tops many cancer patients’ lists as one of the worst for a very simple reason: oral mucositis is an incredibly uncomfortable and painful condition that interferes with everyday life. Patients with oral mucositis find it painful to eat, swallow, talk and sleep.
While hair loss is a more visible chemo side effect and nausea more persistent, the sores and inflammation that characterize oral mucositis affect quality of life so intensely that patients often face wide-ranging problems impacting their overall health. Development and progression of oral mucositis can cause clinically significant problems, including:
• Opioid and/or analgesic use for pain
• Increased ER visits and admittance
• Dose-limiting or interruption of treatment
• Significantly increased healthcare costs
• Weight loss from inability to intake nutrition
• Difficulty eating, talking, sleeping
• Pathway for infection
But what exactly causes oral mucositis, and how can it be stopped? Continue reading as the team at Chemo Mouthpiece discuss the answers to these questions.
What Causes Oral Mucositis?
As with much of the misery related to cancer, oral mucositis is caused by the treatment of the disease, rather than by the illness itself. Because chemotherapy drugs lack the ability to distinguish between diseased tissue and healthy tissue, they attack both in equal measure, killing the cancer along with a great many healthy cells.
As the drugs are administered, they circulate through the body, entering the mouth through blood vessels and promptly damaging the tissues there. The harm these drugs do to the oral cavity manifests as oral mucositis, a painful and debilitating condition that makes even the most mundane of daily tasks uncomfortable not to mention the impact it has on treatment outcomes and increased medical costs.
Signs and Symptoms of Oral Mucositis
Oral mucositis is a very common side effect of chemotherapy treatments, occurring in as many as 80% of high-dose chemotherapy patients. Its symptoms are easily recognizable, usually featuring sores in the mouth, difficulty swallowing or speaking, swelling, inflammation, and even possible infections. The combined weight of these effects often forces a patient to stop or limit eating and drinking, sometimes even necessitating a feeding tube or IV.
In especially severe cases, patients must delay subsequent chemo treatments due to the direct effects of the mucositis or the danger posed by associated weight loss. These delays can hinder patients’ recovery and hurt their overall prognosis, two things any patient wants to avoid at all costs. Not only are these effects frustrating in the extreme, but they can also lead to longer periods of hospitalization and increased medical bills that are already sure to be considerable.
Common Preventative Measures and Treatments for Oral Mucositis
The treatments for oral mucositis – both preventative and reactive – used in hospitals are surprisingly simple. To mitigate the severity of the condition, nurses usually distribute ice chips or popsicles to patients receiving chemotherapy treatments. The use of these cold or frozen aids is based on a principle known as vasoconstriction, the tightening or shrinking of blood vessels.
In essence, the thinking behind vasoconstriction is that causing the blood vessels in the mouth to constrict reduces blood flow to the area, thereby limiting the ability of the toxic chemotherapy drugs to reach the oral cavity. Less drugs in the tissue translates to less severe symptoms, though it is not yet possible to completely prevent mucositis from occurring in all patients.
Still, this treatment has proven fairly effective, but the use of ice chips and popsicles has led to some inconsistent results for patients across the country. The reason for this is simple: they don’t cool the entire mouth uniformly, a critical limitation that allows mucositis to continue to form. Ice chips tend to sit in the bottom of the mouth, cooling that area but no others; popsicles may be able to reach one side of the mouth or the other, but it can’t cover the entire area effectively. In the end, patients wind up with oral mucositis regardless.
How the Chemo Mouthpiece® Works
The Chemo Mouthpiece was designed by a cancer survivor to specifically address the shortcomings of more common but less effective methods to cool the mouth. By cooling the entire oral cavity uniformly, the Chemo Mouthpiece is able to induce vasoconstriction – and therefore reduce the intensity and severity of oral mucositis – throughout the entire mouth.
The way the mouthpiece works is simple; just put it in your freezer for six hours and it is ready for use during your infusion and refreeze for use at home in the days following infusion. At its center, there is a core of fresh water that freezes solid and serves to keep the device cool. Around the inner core, there is an outer section filled with salt water, which can reach freezing temperatures without solidifying. Two tubes run through the center of the device to facilitate comfortable breathing while it is in use. Simply put the end of the Chemo Mouthpiece in your mouth during chemotherapy treatments and let it effectively chill your entire oral cavity, significantly reducing the risk and severity of oral mucositis in the process.
Simple, Easy-to-Use Device to the Reduce the Incidence and Severity of Oral Mucositis During Chemotherapy
The Chemo Mouthpiece was invented by someone with firsthand experience dealing with the pain of oral mucositis, an engineer and cancer survivor named David Yoskowitz who knew there had to be a better way to deal with this debilitating issue. This device is simple, effective, and easy to use, whether at home or in the infusion chair. It even comes with an insulated cooler for convenient transportation. To learn more about the Chemo Mouthpiece and how it can help you or someone you love, visit us online or call 1 (866) 496-8858 today.
Patients who are diagnosed with cancer find themselves constantly under siege by their illness, and by the side effects that come along with their treatments. Both chemotherapy and radiation are known to cause a variety of unpleasant reactions in the body, from the instantly recognizable hair loss to the nausea, mouth sores, nerve pain, and other side effects that can have detrimental effects on a patient’s quality of life. One of the most debilitating of these effects is the appearance of oral mucositis, a condition characterized by mouth sores, bleeding, inflammation, and intense pain. But can you die from oral mucositis, and is there a device to protect you from developing this significant side effect? Keep reading to find out the answers to these questions.
What is Oral Mucositis?
The drugs chosen for chemotherapy treatments generally operate by targeting cells that rapidly divide, which makes them quite effective at seeking out and destroying fast-growing cancer tissues. Unfortunately, these chemicals also damage any healthy tissue that exhibits a similar rate of cell division, such as those in the mouth, hair, nails, and bone marrow – collateral damage in the war against cancer.
The consequence of these treatments for your mouth’s mucous membranes can be particularly unpleasant: these vulnerable tissues break down, leading to the formation of painful lesions along the cheeks, tongue, and soft palate of the mouth, as well as inflammation, bleeding, and a lack of saliva. This ailment, known as oral mucositis, affects as many as 40% of patients receiving standard chemotherapy, and up to 80% of those undergoing high-dose chemo treatments. (Source)
Can Oral Mucositis Be Fatal?
While the symptoms of oral mucositis can be debilitating for many patients, this condition is not typically fatal; the pain and bleeding can give the impression of a life-threatening ailment, but for most patients, the symptoms are an uncomfortable obstacle to overcome as they battle cancer. However, there is the potential for oral mucositis to lead to something much more serious.
One of the most concerning aspects of mucositis is that it leaves the mouth vulnerable to infections. Any open wound could provide an opening for a virus, fungus, or bacteria to take hold, and those in the mouth are no different. In fact, your mouth may be even more susceptible to infection than other areas of your body, in large part because foreign objects – food and beverages – are constantly being introduced to the environment.
Saliva also plays an important role in the prevention or oral infections; because the salivary glands and mucous membranes are affected by the chemo drugs, patients often experience a lack of saliva (called xerostomia or dry mouth) which can further reduce their defense against infection.
The final factor to consider is the status of the immune system. Patients who undergo chemo or radiation treatments often experience damage to their bone marrow, the part of the body that products red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Without the right amount of these cells – white blood cells in particular – your body may not have adequate defenses to ward off an infection.
A 2008 study looked at the chances of various complications related to oral mucositis and found that a one-point increase in severity (mucositis is typically judged on a scale of 0-3) is associated with more than two additional days of IV nutrition, narcotic painkillers, and overall hospitalization; one extra day of fever; more than double the risk of serious infection; and an almost four-fold increase in a patient’s 100-day mortality risk. The sum of these complications can cost upwards of $25,000 – and that’s in addition to the already significant costs related to cancer treatments and general care.
Preventing Oral Mucositis Through Cryotherapy
Although oral mucositis caused by chemotherapy may not be deadly in and of itself, the condition can still put patients at a greater risk of serious complications that could ultimately prove fatal. For this reason, and for the financial impact of mucositis, patients should try to avoid the worst of the symptoms of oral mucositis.
Today, the best method for limiting the severity of mouth sores after chemo is through cryotherapy, the application of cold temperatures to the body’s tissues. By lowering the temperature of the oral cavity, the blood vessels in the area are forced to shrink, thereby reducing the flow of chemo drugs to the area during treatment and preventing the worst of the damage the drugs would otherwise inflict.
Nurses and doctors often use ice chips or popsicles to apply these cold temperatures to the inside of the mouth, but neither option is very effective at cooling all areas of the mouth. The Chemo Mouthpiece® is an FDA 410(k) cleared device oral cryotherapy device that can lower the temperature of the entire oral cavity, making it a potent weapon against oral mucositis.
Oral Cryotherapy Device for Protection from Chemotherapy Induced Oral Mucositis (CIOM)
If you’ve tried using ice chips to protect yourself from oral mucositis and found the results to be less than effective, consider the Chemo Mouthpiece instead. This simple, clinically studied and easy-to-use device can accompany you to your next treatment and provide extensive cooling power during chemotherapy. To learn more about how the Chemo Mouthpiece can help you or a loved one, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
It may not be as well-known as some chemotherapy side effects – hair loss or nausea, for example – but oral mucositis is easily one of the most painful and debilitating conditions affecting chemo patients. As many as 40% of those undergoing chemotherapy will see some form of mucositis, though the odds can be much higher for those receiving treatment to the head, neck, or chest; and for patients going through high-dose chemo, the chances of developing oral mucositis are close to 80%. (Source)
The true burden of oral mucositis comes from its ability to affect all aspects of a patient’s recovery. Not only is this side effect extremely painful, but it can also make eating and drinking difficult (or even impossible), leading to dehydration and malnutrition in many patients and can even delay treatment. The sores that appear also increase a patient’s risk of infection – a serious concern for patients whose immune systems have been ravaged by chemo drugs – and the economic impact of mucositis can be just as severe, with some patients seeing tens of thousands of dollars in additional medical costs thanks to this one condition.
If you or someone you know is getting ready to begin chemotherapy treatments, know that help may be possible in the form of the Chemo Mouthpiece®. To learn more about how this effective, easy-to-use medical device can reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
The Price of Oral Mucositis Symptoms
The medical expenses that accompany cancer can be overwhelming, and the additional costs that come with oral mucositis only add to patients’ economic woes. In one study, an increase in the severity of mucositis symptoms was linked to significant health risks and more extensive treatments; just a single-point bump on the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS) can lead to an average of one extra day of fever, 2.7 more days of IV nutrition, 2.6 more days of narcotic painkillers and general hospitalization, more than double the risk of serious infection, and an almost four-fold increase in a patient’s 100-day mortality risk.
Combined, these myriad complications can require treatments adding up to tens of thousands of dollars in additional medical bills. That one-point increase in a patient’s OMAS scale cost patients in the study as much as $25,000 that they might not have otherwise had to pay; the study concluded the hospital bills of a patient with oral mucositis were an average of $42,000 greater than those who were spared this chemo side effect.
The Physical Toll of Oral Mucositis
Though mouth sores are the predominant sign of oral mucositis, this condition can have wide-ranging effects on a patient’s overall health and quality of life. In more severe cases, the sores that appear can change a patient’s sense of taste, cause persistent dry mouth or a thickening of the saliva, or make chewing and swallowing incredibly painful, leading many patients to avoid the foods and beverages their bodies need to keep up their strength. This reluctance to eat can mean slower healing, lower energy levels, unwanted weight loss, and even delays in chemo treatments.
The presence of open sores in the mouth also represents a significant threat to the immune system, as each sore is a potential avenue for infection. Because the body’s immune system is so often compromised by radiation and chemotherapy, an infection anywhere in the body – including the mouth – can prove life-threatening. Patients with oral mucositis must observe meticulous oral hygiene practices to keep their sores clean and clear of debris, despite the intense discomfort these procedures may cause.
Fighting Chemo-Induced Mouth Sores
While no treatment has shown the ability to completely prevent oral mucositis, one notable option has proven effective for many patients looking to limit the severity of their symptoms: cryotherapy. By applying cold temperatures to the soft tissues that line the mouth, the blood vessels in that area are forced to shrink, which makes it harder for the toxic chemo drugs to reach those vulnerable areas; it’s like closing lanes on a busy highway.
To cause this effect – called vasoconstriction – most treatment centers will distribute ice chips or popsicles for patients to suck on as their medication is administered. Of course, this method has some obvious limitations: Ice chips tend to sit in the bottom of the mouth, cooling only a small area before melting away, and popsicles aren’t much better. By comparison, the Chemo Mouthpiece can effectively cool the entire oral cavity, making it a significantly more potent cryotherapy option.
Save Thousands of Dollars and Months of Pain with the Chemo Mouthpiece™
For those about to begin chemotherapy, the Chemo Mouthpiece can be an invaluable tool for reducing the occurrence and severity of oral mucositis symptoms, saving patients significant money and pain along the way. If you or someone you know is at risk of developing chemo induced mouth sores, know that you can fight this debilitating condition. Learn more by visiting the Chemo Mouthpiece website or calling (866) 496-8858 right away.
Battling a cancer diagnosis is a tall order for anyone, but the addition of chemotherapy and its side effects can make the fight feel downright impossible. Not only is the disease itself a threat to the patient’s life, but the hair loss, nausea, weight loss, nerve damage, and other side effects that accompany chemo treatments can sap your strength even as they battle your illness. Perhaps the most debilitating of these effects is the development of mouth sores, a condition known as oral mucositis. How do you treat this ailment, and is there any way to prevent mouth sores from appearing in the first place? Continue reading as the experts at Chemo Mouthpiece® answer these very questions.
What Causes Oral Mucositis After Chemotherapy?
The reason chemotherapy drugs are used to eliminate cancer is that they are very effective at targeting cells that divide quickly – a key characteristic of cancer. Unfortunately, these drugs often fail to distinguish friend from foe, attacking healthy tissue and cancerous tissue alike in their zeal to fight the cancer. Healthy cells that grow rapidly – cells in the mouth, hair, nails, and bone marrow – are vulnerable to these toxic chemicals; it’s why hair loss is a common side effect of these treatments, and it’s why sores form in the mouth after chemo.
As the chemotherapy drugs circulate through the body, passing through blood vessels on their way to their target, they eventually reach the mouth and often begin breaking down the mucous membranes that line the cheeks, tongue, and other areas. This attack causes the development of painful sores, bleeding, and inflammation that together constitute oral mucositis.
The costs of this condition can be enormous. A 2009 study published in the journal Dental Clinics of North America looked at the medical and economic impact of oral mucositis and found that the more severe the symptoms, the longer patients spent in the hospital, the longer they needed to be on IV nutrition and narcotic painkillers, and the greater their risk of serious infections or death. In total, these complications can cost a patient as much as $25,000, according to the study – and that’s on top of the already intimidating medical bills that tend to accompany the initial cancer treatments. For patients, this means that preventing and treating oral mucositis is more than a matter of comfort; it has medical and financial implications as well.
Common Treatments for Oral Mucositis Symptoms
Several over the counter and homemade treatments exist to help those suffering from oral mucositis, though their effectiveness can vary from patient to patient. The simplest and most accessible treatment is a saltwater mouthwash; just add one tablespoon of salt to one quart of water for the proper mixture. Rinsing out your mouth regularly with this solution can help keep your sores free of debris and bacteria, aiding the fight against infection while slightly reducing pain and inflammation. The addition of baking soda to your mouthwash can be helpful as well, since baking soda can neutralize the mouth’s natural acidity and relieve some of the pain generated by the sores. Additional products are available at your local drugstore, though they are often no more effective than your homemade options and few have been studied in clinical trials.
While some of these treatments can be useful against the symptoms of mucositis, they each suffer from a shared flaw: they are only effective once the sores and pain have already appeared. The better solution, then, is to try and prevent the symptoms before they begin, or else reduce their severity as much as possible before complications have a chance to arise. The best method of accomplishing this is through the application of cryotherapy, the use of freezing or near-freezing temperatures to affect the body’s systems.
How Cryotherapy Can Treat Mouth Sores in Cancer Patients
Nurses and doctors throughout the country distribute ice chips and popsicles to their patients during chemo treatments, employing cryotherapy to try and reduce mouth sore symptoms. The thinking behind this is simple: by applying ice to the inside of the mouth, the blood vessels are forced to shrink, which in turn allows less of the chemotherapy drugs to reach the area.
Though the theory is sound – several studies have shown cryotherapy to be a promising preventative measure against mucositis – the use of ice chips and popsicles represents an imperfect application of this principle. Ice chips, for instance, tend to sit at the bottom of the mouth or around the sides of the tongue, and popsicles likewise affect only a limited area. This leaves much of the mouth’s sensitive tissues vulnerable to the toxic touch of the chemotherapy drugs.
The Chemo Mouthpiece is an oral cryotherapy device specifically designed to address this issue. By using an ice-cold oral device that effectively cools the entire oral cavity uniformly, patients can now gain the benefits of cryotherapy throughout their mouth, from side to side and top to bottom. Plus, the devices are extremely simple and easy to use; just freeze them at home before your treatment, bring them to your infusion for use in your mouth as the drugs are being administered to see a significant reduction in the severity of oral mucositis symptoms.
Simple Oral Cryotherapy Device for Preventing Mouth Sores After Chemotherapy
No longer do patients have to rely on ineffective ice chips or mouthwashes to reduce or treat chemotherapy mouth sores. By inventing the Chemo Mouthpiece, engineer and cancer survivor David Yoskowitz has created a device that will effectively help protect you from oral mucositis, so you have one less battle to fight. To learn more about how the Chemo Mouthpiece can help you through this difficult time, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
Oral mucositis is one of the toughest, most debilitating side effects of chemotherapy. Not only are the symptoms of this condition painful, but they can also lead to a host of expensive, even life-threatening complications if left unchecked. Patients can find treatments at their local drugstore or around their home, but two of the most popular and effective remedies for oral mucositis are mouthwashes and cryotherapy. Which of these treatments is more effective for helping with mouth sores caused by chemotherapy? The experts at Chemo Mouthpiece® will explain the differences between them below.
What Causes Mouth Sores After Chemotherapy?
Although it is undoubtedly effective for treating many types of cancer, chemotherapy has become almost as well-known for its negative side effects as for its healing powers – so much so that side effects such as hair loss have become an instantly recognizable sign of cancer treatments. One of the most debilitating of these side effects is the appearance of sores in the mouth, often accompanied by inflammation, bleeding, and pain. In fact, many patients label this condition – called oral mucositis – as the worst they experience while undergoing chemotherapy, placing it above nerve pain, nausea, and other unpleasant side effects.
Like many of the side effects that follow a chemo treatment, oral mucositis is the result of chemo drugs attacking healthy tissue even as they target diseased cells. By design, chemotherapy medications seek out and destroy rapidly growing tissues, which includes those in a tumor as well as normal cells in the body’s hair, nails, bone marrow, and mucous membranes. When these toxic chemicals reach the mouth, they break down the mucous membranes there, causing the formation of painful lesions.
Depending on the amount of the drug that reaches the area, the symptoms can vary in magnitude; those being treated for head, mouth, or throat cancers are more likely to experience the symptoms of oral mucositis. Studies have shown that as many as 40% of chemo patients will experience these symptoms, and up to 80% of those undergoing high-dose chemotherapy are vulnerable to mouth sores.
The Cost of Oral Mucositis
As painful and inconvenient as oral mucositis may seem, the reality is far worse than you might imagine. The appearance of mucositis symptoms in a cancer patient has been linked to a host of complications, some of which are life-threatening and almost all of which are expensive. A 2008 study of patients with oral mucositis found that an increase in its severity led to longer fevers, more than double the risk of a serious infection, additional days of narcotic painkillers, IV nutrition, extra days spent in the hospital, and a significant increase in patients’ 100-day mortality rate. All told, the financial burden of mucositis can be as much as $25,000 for a single patient, making it as damaging to the wallet as it is to a patient’s overall well-being.
Treatments for Oral Mucositis: Mouthwash vs. Cryotherapy
Mouthwashes are among the most readily available and easy-to-use treatments for oral mucositis, as well as part of a good oral care routine for chemo patients. Often, all it takes is a rinse and spit to make those mouth sores feel just a little bit better, so it’s understandable that many patients use this method to help relieve their pain and keep their mouth clean. On the other hand, cryotherapy – the use of freezing or near-freezing temperatures to treat the body – offering a way to reduce the severity of symptoms before they even appear. So, which is more effective?
As stated above, mouthwashes are both accessible and convenient for patients to use. Anyone can make a saltwater rinse at home by adding a bit of salt to a warm glass of water and using that to clean and moisturize their mouth; alternately, the same effect can be achieved with baking soda in addition to or instead of salt. This makes mouthwashes an inexpensive treatment as well, but do they have any downsides? For one thing, mouthwashes are only useful to patients who have already developed mucositis; in other words, you must be in pain to gain anything from their use. Another issue is the relative lack of potency common to these treatments, as mouthwashes tend to provide only minor and temporary relief from the pain and inflammation.
By comparison, cryotherapy – when properly employed – has demonstrated an ability to fight oral mucositis symptoms before they appear. Cryotherapy works by chilling the blood vessels of the mouth, causing them to shrink and reduces blood flow to the area during the infusion of chemo drugs. This limits the amount of the drugs that can reach the vulnerable mucous membranes, which in turn limits the severity of mucositis symptoms. It’s the reason nurses and doctors distribute ice chips to patients during treatments, though ice chips are a less-than-ideal method of using cryotherapy as they only reach a limited area.
The Chemo Mouthpiece® is a unique oral cryotherapy device for chemo patients designed specifically to combat oral mucositis symptoms. Simply freeze the mouthpiece at home ahead of your treatment, then bring it with you to cool your entire mouth during the infusion, wash and refreeze the devices at home for cooling relief after treatment.
Oral Cryotherapy Device for Helping with Chemo Mouth Sores
When using cryotherapy to prevent mucositis symptoms, go for the most effective method around. The Chemo Mouthpiece cools the entire oral cavity uniformly, from top to bottom and side to side, bringing the cooling power of cryotherapy to your entire mouth. To learn more about how the Chemo Mouthpiece can help you or a loved one who is undergoing chemotherapy, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
Mouth sores may sound like a mere nuisance, but countless chemotherapy patients can attest to the drastic toll oral mucositis can take. As many as 40% of patients who undergo chemotherapy can develop this condition; for high-dose chemo, the number can be as high as 80%. (Source) It’s important to note, however, that the cost of oral mucositis goes well beyond the discomfort caused by mouth sores, often impacting a patient’s overall physical and financial well-being, and the prevailing treatment is nothing more than ice chips or popsicles.
Is there anything better than ice to treat oral mucositis? Keep reading to answer this very question.
The Cause and Symptoms of Oral Mucositis
It’s no secret that the drugs used in chemotherapy treatments are toxic; in fact, it’s the reason they’re used to fight the ceaseless growth of cancer cells. Unfortunately, these powerful drugs fail to recognize friend from foe, so they end up attacking healthy tissue as well as diseased cells. This damage manifests in several ways – nausea and hair loss being perhaps the most familiar – but few chemo side effects are as unpleasant, clinically significant or downright painful as oral mucositis.
When the chemicals used to defeat cancer reach the vulnerable soft tissues of the mouth, they break down the mucous membranes, causing painful ulcers, bleeding, and inflammation, not to mention a host of further complications. Patients with oral mucositis often report an inability to swallow due to pain, which can lead to nutritional deficits that can ultimately delay treatments and worsen a patient’s prognosis. Infections are also a significant risk, as the open sores in the mouth are vulnerable to bacteria and other contaminants.
The combination of these factors makes oral mucositis arguably the most debilitating side effect of chemotherapy, and certainly one of the most expensive. A single-point increase in the severity of mucositis – the ailment is typically measured on a scale of 0-4 – has been shown to cause an average of 1 extra day of fever, a 2.1x increase in infection risk, 2.7 more days of IV nutrition, 2.6 more days of narcotic treatment, 2.6 more days in the hospital, and a 3.9x increase in 100-day mortality risk. All told, the financial cost of that one-point increase can be as much as $25,000. (Source) For these economic impacts and those on a patient’s health and treatment, it is quite important to limit the incidence and severity of oral mucositis as much as possible.
Preventing Oral Mucositis with Ice Chips and Popsicles
There are several options for the prevention and oral mucositis, few of which have any measurable impact on the condition, truth be told. The most common preventative measure taken in treatment centers is the distribution of ice chips or popsicles to patients; the principle behind this is based on cryotherapy, or the use of freezing temperatures to affect the body. Icing a bruise is an example of this, but so are the ice chips given to chemo patients.
The idea is that the cold from the ice chips or popsicles will shrink the blood vessels of the mouth – a phenomenon familiar to anyone who has experienced “brain freeze” – and thereby limit the ability of toxic chemotherapy drugs to reach the tissues of the oral cavity; an apt metaphor might be closing several lanes on a highway to limit the flow of traffic. The principle is sound, as cold is certainly capable of constricting blood vessels, but the delivery system – the ice chips and popsicles distributed in treatment centers – is flawed. Ice chips tend to simply sit in the bottom of the mouth, cooling the area around the tongue but 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 during lengthy infusions and with long half-life chemotherapy drugs. But what other options exist?
Reducing Risk of Oral Mucositis with an Advanced Cryotherapy Device
While cryotherapy through ice chips may be an imperfect solution, a groundbreaking option is available. An advanced cryotherapy device with a brilliant design, the Chemo Mouthpiece®, can quickly and effectively cool the entire mouth all at once, providing protection for the duration of your chemo infusion.
The two chambers of the device are filled with special non-toxic liquids which are compartmentalized so that the inner chamber freezes solid while the outer mouthpiece section remains an ice-cold liquid, allowing the silicone mouthpiece to comfortably fit into your mouth. Tubes extend through the unit to allow for easy breathing.
Because it fills the entire oral cavity and each device stays cold for up to 30 minutes, the Chemo Mouthpiece delivers the power of cryotherapy throughout your mouth, fighting oral mucositis from front to back and side to side. The Chemo Mouthpiece is FDA cleared to reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in adult patients. For more information about how cryotherapy treats oral mucositis, contact us today.
Freeze Oral Mucositis in Its Tracks with the Chemo Mouthpiece
The Chemo Mouthpiece is an innovative product designed by engineer and cancer survivor David Yoskowitz to specifically address oral mucositis. Its ability to protect the vulnerable mucous membranes in the mouth is second to none; simply keep it in your mouth while receiving your chemotherapy treatment and again at home after treatment and you’ll see the difference. To learn more about the Chemo Mouthpiece and how it can reduce the risk of oral mucositis for you or a loved one, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
Patients who go through chemotherapy often report a wide variety of symptoms and side effects that make life even more difficult for them. Many of these side effects are well-known, even among those with no firsthand experience fighting cancer; the hair loss, nausea, nerve pain, and a few other symptoms are often instantly recognizable as a sign that someone is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. However, there is another serious side effect of chemo that can have far-reaching implications for a patient’s overall health, not to mention their ability to fight their disease and withstand chemo treatments: oral mucositis, sometimes referred to as chemo mouth sores. If you or someone you know is going through chemotherapy and is at risk for developing the symptoms of oral mucositis, you might find yourself wondering what helps mouth sores caused by chemo heal faster. To find out, keep reading for some suggestions.
Why Does Chemotherapy Cause Mouth Sores?
No matter where your cancer might be located, the use of chemotherapy as a treatment will likely mean side effects that touch on most, if not all, of the body’s various systems. That’s because chemo is an example of a “systemic” treatment, meaning that it is applied to the entire body, instead of just one area. Whether you take a pill, sit through an infusion, or undergo some other type of chemo application, the drugs will circulate throughout your body in search of cells that look or behave like cancer cells; this makes them quite effective at their job, but it also leads them to attack any healthy tissue that may be similar to cancer in nature.
Chemo medications seek out and attack cells that divide and grow very quickly – those in a tumor, for example, although the cells in your hair, nails, bone marrow, and mucous membranes also exhibit that same quality. It’s for this reason that the most common side effects of chemotherapy affect the hair, fingernails, toenails, mouth, and immune system of patients; the toxic chemo drugs can’t tell the difference between the cells in those healthy tissues and the cells in a tumor.
When the patient’s chemo medication reaches the mouth, it travels through the blood vessels there and assaults the mucous membranes, causing those tissues to break down and leads to the formation of painful sores, bleeding, inflammation, changes in taste, and a thickening of the saliva in some patients. Collectively, these symptoms mark the appearance of oral mucositis, along with the many complications that can accompany it.
How to Heal Mouth Sores Caused by Chemo
Unfortunately, because oral mucositis is caused by the very treatment that is working to save cancer patients’ lives, the symptoms are often exacerbated with each successive round of treatment. However, there are a few things patients can do to help their bodies endure this grueling process until they are once again cancer-free; find out more below.
Get Plenty of Protein
Those with chemo mouth sores often have difficulty chewing or swallowing solid foods, which can easily lead to malnutrition. To help these sores heal, however, it important to get as much protein as possible in your diet. That’s because protein is necessary for the body’s healing processes to function properly; without an adequate supply of this key macronutrient, the body will struggle to close wounds in the mouth and reduce the severity of oral mucositis symptoms. Consider mixing some protein powder into pudding, ice cream, or some other soft food to increase protein intake in a safe and (hopefully) painless way.
Keep the Mouth Clean
If simply eating a meal sounds painful, brushing your teeth probably seems even more so. However, it’s important to maintain a good oral care routine during chemo, as it will help reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth and make repairing mouth sores quicker and easier on your system. Try brushing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and use a saline bicarbonate mouth rinse (water, salt and baking soda) after each meal to keep mouth sores free of debris that could impede the healing process.
Stop Mouth Sores with Cryotherapy
It can be tough to prevent the appearance of mouth sores during chemo, but one method has shown a lot of potential for helping patients protect themselves. Cryotherapy – a type of treatment that uses freezing or near-freezing temperatures to temporarily shrink the blood vessels of the mouth, limiting the amount of harmful chemo drugs that can reach the area to help patients reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis. If waiting for your mouth sores to heal sounds like a long and painful process, try reducing the risk before they appear with an oral cryotherapy device like the Chemo Mouthpiece®.
Help Fight Your Oral Mucositis Symptoms with the Chemo Mouthpiece
Finding ways to help deal with the symptoms of oral mucositis caused by chemo can be difficult, not only because of the hardships the condition imposes but also simply because you can’t address the underlying cause – the chemo drugs – without jeopardizing your overall recovery. With the Chemo Mouthpiece, however, you can work to minimize the damage done to your mouth by using one simple, reliable device. Just keep the Chemo Mouthpiece in your home freezer until you’re ready for your next treatment, then bring it with you for potent cooling power during your chemo infusion and at home as directed. To learn more about the Chemo Mouthpiece and how it can help you or someone close to you with chemo-induced mouth sores, visit us online or call (866) 496-8858 today.
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.