Microbiota and Symptom Distress in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy

Mucositis is common among cancer patients receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A total of 80-100% of the patients are suffering from the mucositis pain; their regular dieting is disturbed, nutritional status deteriorated, and even treatment discontinued. Some self-paid medications like glutamine have been used to prevent mucositis before and during radiotherapy/chemotherapy. However, the cost of glutamine is relatively high (NT15,000 month/person) and its treatment efficacy and side effects are still to be determined. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and experiments have shown that honey and propolis may be used for the management of mucositis. Taiwan is a country of rich agriculture with unique bee products among which the longan honey demonstrates the most significant antibacterial effects; the green propolis has also been proved to comprise antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. However, none of these propolis products have been specifically trialed for the management of mucositis of cancer patients.

Bee products have been concerned as potential sources of natural antioxidants such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids. Their potential treatment effects have caught the attention of the medical community. Accumulating evidence is supporting the use of bee products in mucositis caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both. However, systematic review and meta-analysis have suggested a low quality of the included RCTs, and this affects the applicability of the evidence in the real clinical scenario.

The investigators plan to conduct a 3-year pioneering care research project for mucositis in cancer patients. These include: (1) an analysis of the incidence and severity of mucositis, severity, treatment methods, and treatment costs; (2) an RCT comparing the effectiveness of honey, Taiwan green propolis, and usual care in mucositis of cancer patients; (3) monitoring of related symptom changes using a smart bracelet device; (4) a measurement of IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF Microbiota in saliva, Microbiota in stool and (4) modeling of the trend of mucositis for alertness and search of essential parameters of the complications. In the first year, our project will focus on the analysis of the incidence and severity of mucositis, treatment methods, and treatment costs. In the second year, the planned RCT will be carried out and changes in heart rate, stress, and fatigue of the patients are to be collected using the smart bracelet. In the third year, the investigators will conduct a deep machine learning of the clinical and serial test data to predict the changes in symptoms. The modeling is anticipated to provide important parameter combinations that assist the alerting of possible severe complications. The overall findings of this project shall the strategical references for applying bee products in the prevention and treatment of mucositis in cancer patients.