Prophylactic effect of polaprezinc, a zinc-l-carnosine, against chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in pediatric patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Background/Aim: Polaprezinc suspension in sodium alginate (PZ-AG) reduces the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in adult patients receiving radiotherapy or high-dose chemotherapy. In the present study, the prophylactic effect of PZ-AG against oral mucositis was assessed in pediatric patients with hematological malignancies receiving high-dose chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Patients and Methods: Data of 16 children who underwent HSCT during a period between January 2010 and December 2017 were obtained from medical records and they were retrospectively analyzed. Oral mucositis was evaluated by the WHO scale. Results: Six (37.5%) of 16 children refused to take PZ-AG in a preliminary assessment and they were pretreated with azulene gargle. The remaining 10 (62.5%) patients were pretreated with PZ-AG for prevention of oral mucositis. Grade≥ 3 oral mucositis occurred in 5 (83.3%) of 6 patients receiving azulene gargle, but in 2 (20%) patients who took PZ-AG (p=0.035). The prevalence for the use of opioid analgesics was also significantly lower (30% vs. 100%, p=0.011), while the average duration of total parenteral nutrition use was significantly shorter (11.1 days vs. 24.3 days, p=0.016), in PZ-AG group than in azulene group. On the other hand, PZ-AG had no significant influence on the incidence of other adverse events, mean time to engraftment, or overall survival. Conclusion: PZ-AG was found to be highly effective in preventing oral mucositis in pediatric patients with hematological malignancies receiving high-dose chemotherapy followed by HSCT, as in adult patients.