Polaprezinc prevents oral mucositis in patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We have previously reported that polaprezinc in sodium alginate suspension (P-AG) inhibited the incidence of oral mucositis induced by radiochemotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. The present study was designed to investigate whether P-AG prevents oral mucositis in all patients (36 patients) with hematological malignancy receiving high-dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). P-AG dramatically reduced the incidence of moderate-to-severe oral mucositis as compared to the control group treated with azulene gargle (20% versus 82% for grade >/= 2, p<0.01; 0% versus 45% for grade >/= 3, p<0.01). Pain associated with oral mucositis was also significantly (p=0.004) relieved by P-AG, resulting in a reduction in the use of analgesic agents (28% versus 73%, p=0.025). The incidence of xerostomia and taste disturbance tended to be lowered but not significantly by P-AG. On the other hand, P-AG had no influence on the incidence of other adverse events, tumor remission rate or the survival rate. Therefore, P-AG was found to be highly effective in preventing oral mucositis induced not only by radiochemotherapy for head and neck cancer but also by high-dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by HSCT.