Phytochemical-rich vegetable and fruit juice alleviates oral mucositis during concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer

Hui-Ping Chang; Meng-Chuan Huang; Yen-Ping Lei; Yu-Ju Chuang; Chun-Wei Wang; Lee-Yan Sheen

Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (Sep 2022)

Phytochemical-rich vegetable and fruit juice alleviates oral mucositis during concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer

Hui-Ping Chang,
Meng-Chuan Huang,
Yen-Ping Lei,
Yu-Ju Chuang,
Chun-Wei Wang,
Lee-Yan Sheen

Affiliations

Hui-Ping Chang: Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Meng-Chuan Huang: Department of Public Health and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Yen-Ping Lei: Department of Nursing, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
Yu-Ju Chuang: Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Chun-Wei Wang: Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Lee-Yan Sheen: Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Food and Biomolecules, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Corresponding author.Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Postal Address: No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 5
pp. 488 – 498

Abstract

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Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT)-induced oral mucositis (OM) causes oral pain, malnutrition, and impaired quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Phytochemicals play a potential role in eliminating cancer therapy toxicity. Objective: To evaluate the effect of phytochemical-rich vegetable and fruit juice (VFJ) consumption in preventing CCRT-induced OM among patients with locally advanced HNC. Methods: Forty-nine patients with HNC undergoing CCRT were enrolled. All patients received nutritional counseling before CCRT and weekly follow-up. The VFJ group (25 patients) received 600 mL/day VFJ, 5 days/week for two weeks preceding CCRT and during CCRT, and the control group (24 patients) did not. The contents of total polyphenols and carotenoids in the VFJ were determined. Changes in anthropometric, dietary, and laboratory profiles were compared. Assessment of OM was based on the World Health Organization (WHO) scoring system. Results: Total polyphenols content was 64.6 mg gallic acid equivalents per 100 mL of the VFJ, and the main carotenoids were β-carotene and lycopene. The mean daily consumption of the VFJ was 538 mL for VFJ group. Changes in body weight, albumin, and energy intake were not significantly different between the two groups. The incidence of ulcerative OM was significantly lower in VFJ (64.0%) than in control (95.8%) subjects at week 6 of CCRT. Multiple logistic regressions revealed that VFJ consumption correlated significantly with lower risks of ulcerative OM. Conclusion: Consumption of VFJ rich in phytochemicals including total polyphenols and carotenoids effectively alleviates the severity of CCRT-induced OM among patients with locally advanced HNC. Section: Preventive Medicine; Dietary Therapy/Nutrition Supplements Taxonomy: (classification by EVISE)Preventive medicine, dietary therapy, nutrition supplements.

Published in Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine

ISSN: 2225-4110 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-traditional-and-complementary-medicine/

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