Sonis Stephen T
From the Biomodels, LLC, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2013. doi: 10.1200/EdBook_AM.2013.33.e236.
Of the toxicities associated with conventional forms of treatment for head and neck cancers, probably none has such a consistent legacy as oral mucositis.1 Despite the fact that mucosal injury was noted as far back as Marie Curie's first forays into therapeutic radiation, an effective intervention has yet to be developed. In addition to its historic link to radiation, new therapeutic strategies including induction chemotherapy often produce mucositis, and targeted therapies appear to alter mucositis risk and its severity and course.2 The symptomatic effect of oral mucositis is profound. Disabling oral and oropharyngeal pain prevents patients from eating normally, requires opiate analgesics, and in some cases results in alteration or discontinuation of anticancer therapy.3 Furthermore, the health and economic consequences of oral mucositis are far from trivial. The incremental cost of oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer exceeds $17,000 (USD).4.
在与头颈部癌症传统治疗方式相关的毒性反应中，或许没有哪种像口腔黏膜炎那样有着如此持久的影响。尽管早在玛丽·居里首次尝试放射治疗时就已注意到黏膜损伤，但至今仍未开发出有效的干预措施。除了其与放射治疗的历史关联外，包括诱导化疗在内的新治疗策略也常常会引发黏膜炎，而且靶向治疗似乎会改变黏膜炎的风险、严重程度及病程。口腔黏膜炎的症状影响深远。严重的口腔和口咽疼痛使患者无法正常进食，需要使用阿片类镇痛药，在某些情况下还会导致抗癌治疗的改变或中断。此外，口腔黏膜炎对健康和经济造成的后果不容小觑。头颈部癌症患者因口腔黏膜炎产生的额外费用超过17,000美元（美元）。
