P1-4-4THE APPEARANCE TIME OF ORAL MUCOSITIS INDUCED BY S-1 CONCURRENT CHEMORADIOTHERAPY FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Abstract Oral mucositis is highly frequently observed as an adverse event in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Although the management of oral mucositis is essential for the improvement of the completion rate of the treatment, no detailed studies on the appearance time of it have ever been reported. In this study, we conducted a retrospective study on the appearance time of oral mucositis induced by S-1 concurrent chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer patients. A total of 11 patients with head and neck cancer who received S-1 concurrent chemoradiotherapy were examined. The appearance time of oral mucositis was when 20.4 ± 8.1 Gy was applied, which was observed for all the patients. In addition, effects of pain-associated symptoms caused by oral mucositis on the nutritional status such as calorie intake reduction (24.4 ± 31.1%), weight loss (5.2 ± 5.2%), and duration of the regular diet (24.5 ± 17.1 days) were observed and lasted until the completion of the radiation therapy. The clarification of the appearance time of oral mucositis has become a key motivator for the patients themselves to perform oral care proactively to prevent it become severe and can also serve as an index necessary for monitoring oral health and managing pain and nutrition.