Effect of cryotherapy in preventing mucositis associated with the use of 5-fluorouracil.
Andrea Bezerra Rodrigues, Maria Isis Freire De Aguiar, Patrícia Peres De Oliveira and 4 others
PMID 33084773WHAT IT FOUND
Cryotherapy did not reduce mucositis more than saline mouthwash.
At the third assessment, mucositis was 3.3% with cryotherapy and 13.3% with saline, but the trial did not show a clear difference between the groups.
Key findings
01The between-group comparison of cryotherapy and saline mouthwash did not show a statistically significant difference in mucositis grade across assessments.
02Within the cryotherapy group, the paper reported odds ratios of 6.5 and 7.25 for reductions in mucositis presence between assessments.
03At the third assessment, mucositis was 3.3% in the cryotherapy group and 13.3% in the saline group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The main between-group comparison was null, so the study does not prove cryotherapy works better than the saline control. Only one chemotherapy cycle was assessed, so repeated-cycle effects are unknown. Lifestyle habits such as food and oral hygiene were not controlled and could affect mucositis. The groups differed in cancer type, which can affect mucositis risk. Losses occurred because participants could not be contacted or did not adhere to the control mouthwash, which may affect generalisability.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cryotherapy prevents mucositis better than saline mouthwash. The between-group outcome was null; the apparent reductions were within-group comparisons, not a demonstrated difference between cryotherapy and saline mouthwash.