ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S1137

Clinical – Head & neck

ESTRO 2025

extract of Syzygium aromaticum) in preventing radiation-induced mucositis in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients.

Material/Methods: Patients were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or radiotherapy (RT) alone.Patients were randomised to receive the mouthwash from the start of CRT/RT or, alternatively, from the onset of symptoms until the first follow-up visit.They were clinically assessed weekly for mucositis using the CTCAE (version 5.0) and weight monitoring. Patients were also assessed three weeks after the end of RT, after which they continued to undergo clinical and instrumental monitoring. Results: To date, 21 patients have been enrolled. The median age was 69.4 years. Thirteen patients (61.9%) received the mouthwash at baseline and eight (38.1%) at the onset of symptoms.Grade 2 toxicity occurred in 6/21 patients (28.6%) and was detected in the third week of treatment:1 patient started using the mouthwash and the remaining 5 started using it after mucositis developed.One patient experienced grade 3 toxicity. Seven patients (33.3%) required the addition of antimycotics between the second and third weeks of treatment:42. 9% used the mouthwash from the first (C)RT fraction and 57.1% used it at the onset of symptoms.Two PEG patients had a mean weight gain of 4.3 kg.Eighteen(85.7%) patients lost a mean of 2.3 kg:the group who used the mouthwash from the start lost a mean of 1. 1 kg compared to 3.7 kg for those who started treatment at the onset of symptoms.Two patients maintained their weight.One patient had to stop (C)RT for 15 days due to bacterial pneumonia requiring hospitalisation. At clinical follow-up 3 weeks after the end of (C)RT, 4 patients presented with grade 2 mucosal inflammation: 3 had initiated oral irrigation at the start of (C)RT.20 (95.2%) patients had no clinical or endoscopic evidence of locoregional recurrence at quarterly and 6-month instrumental follow-up, with no evidence of mucosal inflammation.One patient died of heart failure one week after completion of treatment.