Incidence of radiation induced mucositis in Bosnian population
Radiotherapy has an important role in the treatment of head and neck carcinoma, but it may result in severe dento-oral adverse effects of the radiation. The purpose of this research was to determine the incidence of radiation induced mucositis in conventionally treated patients with head and neck cancer in Bosnian population. A number of 30 patients with malignant diseases were included into this study, from the Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic and Otorhinolaryngology Clinic. All the patients were treated with radiotherapy in the region of head and neck, at the Institute for Oncology, Clinical Centre of University in Sarajevo. Ass well, these thirty patients were examined in four time periods: before the radiation, 3 weeks after commencing the radiation, three months after commencing the radiation and six months after commencing the radiation. After 3 weeks commencing the radiation, 21 (70%) patients developed radiation mucositis with ulcerations and pseudomembranes. Three months after commencing the radiation 7 (23%) patients had mucositis characterized by erythema and six months after commencing the radiation therapy only one (3%) patient had mucositis. Radiation mucositis is only one of many dento-oral complications affecting patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. All complications have a tremendous impact on their quality of life during and after radiotherapy. Therefore, it would be necessary to improve dental and oral following up and treatment of the patients during the radiation therapy, which has not been case in Bosnia and Herzegovina.