Treatment of xerostomia following radiotherapy: does age matter?

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer 2002-09, Vol.10 (6), p.505-508
• Main Authors: MOMM, Felix, GUTTENBERGER, Roland
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - complications; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - radiotherapy; Diseases of the upper aerodigestive tract; Ent and stomatology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - complications; Head and Neck Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Humans; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mucins - therapeutic use; Radiation Injuries - drug therapy; Radiation Injuries - etiology; Radiation therapy; Radiotherapy - adverse effects; Radiotherapy Dosage; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Saliva, Artificial - therapeutic use; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - drug therapy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Xerostomia - drug therapy; Xerostomia - etiology
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-002-0362-3

The goals of this work were to investigate the effect of a mucin-containing spray on chronic xerostomia after radiotherapy in the head and neck region and to lean about the influence of age on the results of this treatment. A total of 73 patients with xerostomia following radiotherapy for various malignant disease in the head and neck region tested a bottle of the mucin spray (SALIVA-medac) and filled ina questionnaire about xerostomia. In all, 59 questionnaires were completed and returned. All patients had had some form of prior treatment for xerostomia, which was applied an average (mean) of 16 times per day (median 15 times per day). The mucin spray had to be used less frequently, i.e. 11 times daily (median 5 times per day) (P