A randomized phase III trial for alleviating radiation-induced xerostomia with chewing gum.

Background And Purpose: Xerostomia is frequently reported after radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). The aim of this study was to reduce symptoms of radiation-induced xerostomia in HNC survivors, in which the experimental arm used chewing gum for a month. Primary endpoint was changes in scoring of dry mouth as defined by EORTC QLQ-H&N35 between arms.

Xerostomia after Radiotherapy for Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer: Increasing Salivary Flow with Tasteless Sugar-free Chewing Gum.

Introduction: Radiation-induced xerostomia is a frequent late side effect after treatment for oral and oropharyngeal cancers. This may induce swallowing difficulties, compromised oral well-being, reduced nutrition intake, or speech deficiencies. Consequently, quality of life is often impaired for these patients.