Effect of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor gargle in control of the oral mucositis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objective To identify the efficacy of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gargle in patients who had oral mucositis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods A total of 134 patients were enrolled in this study from 2014 to 2015. They were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (n=65) and the control group (n=69). Both groups received preventive measures for oral mucositis. But once oral mucositis occurred, the control group continued with the routine nursing measure, while the experimental group added GM-CSF gargle based on previous routine nursing measure. The effective rate and healing time were compared between two groups. Results The effective rate of the experimental group (81.54%, 53/65) was significantly higher than that of the control group (24.64%,17/69)(χ2=43.434, P=0.000). The median healing time in the experimental group was 4.5 days, shorter than 9.0 days in the control group (Z=-5.379, P< 0.01). Conclusions GM-CSF gargle can control the oral mucositis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Key words: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; Oral mucositis; Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation