Oral mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with prophylactic photobiomodulation: A retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE

To analyze the incidence, severity, and factors associated with the development of oral mucositis (OM) in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) who are receiving prophylactic photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT).

METHODS

Data, including sex, age, grade of OM, and conditioning regimen, were collected from medical records of patients undergoing prophylactic PBMT at a reference hospital in Brazil. Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were applied to examine the associations between variables. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate disease-free survival time.

RESULTS

A total of 68 patients were included in the study, 54.4% of whom were female, with a median age of 40 years. OM occurred in 37 patients (54.4%). Most OMs were classified as Grade 0 (45.5%). No cases of Grade 3 or 4 OM were observed. A statistically significant association was found between Grade 1 and 2 OM and younger age (p = 0.017). FluBuMel/Cy conditioning regimen was associated with the occurrence of Grade 2 OM (p = 0.006), while pharyngeal mucositis was associated with Grade 1 (p < 0.0001). Age, pharyngeal mucositis and some types of conditioning regimen had a significant impact on the disease-free survival rate for OM. Patients undergoing the MEL100 conditioning protocol had a 14.36-fold increased risk of developing this complication.

CONCLUSION

In HSCT patients undergoing prophylactic use of PBMT, factors such as age, specific chemotherapy conditioning protocols, and the presence of pharyngeal mucositis were found to be associated with OM development.