MedPath

Laser for Oral Mucositis in Pediatric Onco-hematology

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Stomatitis
Interventions
Device: Laser therapy
Device: Sham therapy
Registration Number
NCT02762019
Lead Sponsor
IRCCS Burlo Garofolo
Brief Summary

Children with cancer undergoing intensive chemotherapy (CT) regimens experience many side effects among which oral mucositis (OM) is one of the most debilitating. Modifications of CT's schedule and prolonged hospitalization may be necessary in presence of OM, causing poor general conditions and debilitation. Moreover, the use of narcotic analgesics and total parenteral nutrition may be required, triggering not only a physical deficit but also an economic burden. Despite the frequency and impact of OM among children with cancer, there is no consensus on standard therapy for this condition. Previous studies demonstrated that high power laser therapy can help the maintenance of nutritional status in patients with OM and can remarkably reduce costs/resources needed. Laser therapy has evidence of efficacy in reducing symptoms and in preventing the onset of OM in adult cancer patients but only one randomized controlled trial, with a limited number of children enrolled, supports its use in children for treatment of OM induced by chemotherapy.

This multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trial evaluates the efficacy of laser for treatment of oral mucositis secondary to chemotherapy in children aged 3-17 years.

The study involves 8 italian hospitals.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
101
Inclusion Criteria
  • Children aged 3-18 years
  • Oral mucositis of grade 3 or 4 at enrollment (CTC - WHO scale)
  • Antiblastic chemotherapy in the in the previous three weeks
  • Willingness to undergo treatment for 4 consecutive days and to return for evaluation 7 and 11 days after enrollment.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Previous treatment with laser therapy for stomatitis
  • Presence of dysplastic oral lesions
  • Reduction of mouth opening (<1 cm)
  • Localized head and/or neck radiation treatment in the previous 4 weeks
  • Use of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF)
  • Previous enrollment in the study

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Laser therapyLaser therapyChildren are allocated to receive Laser therapy
Sham therapySham therapyChildren are allocated to receive Sham therapy
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Reduction of the grade of oral mucositis7 days after enrollment

Reduction of stomatitis' grade (from grade 3 or 4 to a lower grade). The grade of stomatitis is defined using the World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation scale

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Reduction of pain, age 4-7 years11 days after enrollment

Reduction of self-reported pain recorded with the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R)

Reduction of need for analgesicsat day 7
Reduction of the grade of oral mucositis11 days after enrollment

Reduction of stomatitis' grade (from grade 3 or 4 to a lower grade). The grade of stomatitis is defined using the WHO evaluation scale

Reduction of pain, age 8-18 years11 days after enrollment

Reduction of self-reported pain recorded with a numeric rating scale

Adverse eventsat day 11

Trial Locations

Locations (8)

Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova

🇮🇹

Padova, Italy

Azienda Ospedaliero universitaria di Parma

🇮🇹

Parma, Italy

Policlinico Sant'Orsola Malpighi

🇮🇹

Bologna, Italy

Spedali civili Ospedale dei Bambini

🇮🇹

Brescia, Italy

Ospedale Pediatrico Microcitemico "Antonio Cao"

🇮🇹

Cagliari, Italy

Fondazione IRCCS, Policlinico San Matteo

🇮🇹

Pavia, Italy

A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino

🇮🇹

Torino, Italy

IRCCS Burlo Garofolo

🇮🇹

Trieste, Italy

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath