
Occurrence of oral mucositis in women during oncological treatment of breast cancer in the Brazilian Northeast
Author(s) -
Ricardo Barbosa-Lima,
Simone Yuriko Kameo,
Bruno Ferreira Amorim,
Maria Júlia Oliveira Ramos,
J. N. da Costa,
Pabliane Matias Lordelo Marinho,
Namie Okino Sawada,
Glebson Moura Silva
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
revista ciências em saúde
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2236-3785
DOI - 10.21876/rcshci.v10i4.1040
Subject(s) - medicine , mucositis , breast cancer , cancer , medical record , chemotherapy , retrospective cohort study , gynecology , mucocutaneous zone , disease
Objective: To describe the occurrence of oral mucositis (OM) in women undergoing cancer treatment for breast cancer (BC). Methods: This is a retrospective, quantitative, and analytical study in medical records of women diagnosed with BC in an oncology service. Clinical data were collected regarding the occurrence and severity of OM according to the World Health Organization criteria and the cancer treatment experienced by the participants. Results: 196 women were included. Of these, 97 (49.5%) developed OM, 43.4% of which were grade 1 or 2 (low or moderate). The occurrence was higher in white women (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.04 - 3.57; p = 0.035), with metastatic breast cancer (OR 5.46; 95% CI 1.79 - 16.64; p = 0.002) and who experienced taxane agents at some point during chemotherapy (OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.12 - 4.56; p = 0.02). The mean severity of OM in the entire sample was 0.8 ± 1.0, and in the affected women was 1.7 ± 0.7. The difference in the severity of OM by the variables was observed only among women with grade 2 and grade 3 fatigue (p = 0.03). Conclusions: OM is a common mucocutaneous toxicity in women with BC. Despite the low severity observed, care for women with BC undergoing cancer treatment must consider the possible risks and complications associated with OM, adopting strategies to prevent, monitor, and treat them.