Xerostomia describes both the subjective sensation of oral dryness and the objective reduction in salivary function. Most oncology patients experience oral dryness, at least temporarily during the trajectory of their illness and treatment. In fact, almost all head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy experience some degree of xersostomia (Chambers, Rosenthal & Weber, 2007). Inadequa...

Objective To evaluate the early changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the salivary glands during radiotherapy (RT) and their association with the degree of xerostomia at 6 months after RT in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Materials and Methods We enrolled 26 patients with NPC who underwent RT. Each patient underwent diffusion-weighted MRI of the salivary glands...

BACKGROUND This prospective randomized study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of oral pilocarpine chloratum (Salagen) during and after radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between October 1999 and December 2003, 66 patients received 60 Gy of irradiation to their head and neck cancer. Half of the patients received 5 mg oral pilocarpine 3 times a day from the beginning of radiotherapy o...

PURPOSE Xerostomia can diminish the quality of life, leads to changes in normal chemical composition of saliva and oral microbiata, and increases the risk for opportunistic infections, such as Candida albicans. Various artificial salivas have been considered for patients with xerostomia. However, the knowledge on the antifungal and antiadhesive activity of artificial saliva substitutes is limit...

BACKGROUND To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using individualized clinical target volumes (CTVs) based on the loco-regional extension patterns of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS From December 2009 to February 2012, 220 patients with histologically-proven, non-disseminated NPC were prospectively treated with IMRT according to an individual...

PURPOSE Diminished salivary flow, or dry mouth impacts the oral health of many older adults, dentate and edentulous. As a result typical oral conditions can prove more challenging to both the patient's comfort and home care and the treatment selected by the clinician. This paper will review issues of dry mouth from a clinical and symptomatic perspective and will include the condition's causes, ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in minimizing the severity of radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer. A total of 24 consecutive patients receiving > 5000 cGy radiotherapy (RT) involving the major salivary glands bilaterally were assigned to either the preventive acupuncture group (PA, n = 12), treated with acupuncture before and...