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.