A systematic review of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia induced by cancer therapies: management strategies and economic impact.

Support Care Cancer. 2010 Mar 25;

Authors: Jensen SB, Pedersen AM, Vissink A, Andersen E, Brown CG, Davies AN, Dutilh J, Fulton JS, Jankovic L, Lopes NN, Mello AL, Muniz LV, Murdoch-Kinch CA, Nair RG, Napeñas JJ, Nogueira-Rodrigues A, Saunders D, Stirling B, von Bültzingslöwen I, Weikel DS, Elting LS, Spijkervet FK, Brennan MT, , ,

PURPOSE: This systematic review aimed to assess the literature for management strategies and economic impact of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia induced by cancer therapies and to determine the quality of evidence-based management recommendations. METHODS: The electronic databases of MEDLINE/PubMed and EMBASE were searched for articles published in English since the 1989 NIH Development Consensus Conference on the Oral Complications of Cancer Therapies until 2008 inclusive. For each article, two independent reviewers extracted information regarding study design, study population, interventions, outcome measures, results, and conclusions. RESULTS: Seventy-two interventional studies met the inclusion criteria. In addition, 49 intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) studies were included as a management strategy aiming for less salivary gland damage. Management guideline recommendations were drawn up for IMRT, amifostine, muscarinic agonist stimulation, oral mucosal lubricants, acupuncture, and submandibular gland transfer. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia induced by cancer therapies can be prevented or symptoms be minimized to some degree, depending on the type of cancer treatment. Management guideline recommendations are provided for IMRT, amifostine, muscarinic agonist stimulation, oral mucosal lubricants, acupuncture, and submandibular gland transfer. Fields of sparse literature identified included effects of gustatory and masticatory stimulation, specific oral mucosal lubricant formulas, submandibular gland transfer, acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen treatment, management strategies in pediatric cancer populations, and the economic consequences of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia.

PMID: 20333412 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Cancer Survivors' Spiritual Well-Being and Use of Complementary Methods: A Report from the American Cancer Society's Studies of Cancer Survivors.

J Relig Health. 2010 Mar 19;

Authors: Crammer C, Kaw C, Gansler T, Stein KD

We examined associations between spiritual well-being and CAM use among 4,139 cancer survivors. We also explored the classification of religious/spiritual practices (R/S) as CAMs and alternative subscale structures of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp). We evaluated three aspects of spirituality, Faith, Peace, and Meaning, and use of 19 CAMs in 5 domains. Mind-body methods were subdivided into R/S and non-R/S. All FACIT-Sp factors were associated with CAM use, but in different directions: Meaning and Faith were positively associated; Peace was negatively associated. Peace was negatively associated with R/S CAMs, but not non-R/S CAMs. The prevalence of CAM use dropped from 79.3 to 64.8% when R/S items were excluded. These findings confirm an association between spiritual well-being and CAM use, including some non-R/S CAMs, and provide evidence of the benefits of using the three-factor FACIT-Sp solution and treating R/S CAMs as a separate category.

PMID: 20300963 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Could integrative cancer treatment be cost-saving and resuscitate a submerged medical system?

Integr Cancer Ther. 2009 Sep;8(3):205-7

Authors: Block KI

PMID: 19815590 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]