The effect of cryotherapy on oral mucositis management in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of cryotherapy on oral mucositis management in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.

Background: Oral mucositis is among the most common symptoms of stem cell transplantation. Cryotherapy may be an important treatment option in the oral mucositis process.

Design: A systematic review.

Data Sources: A literature review of studies published in the English language was conducted on Web of Science, Springer Link, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Ovid, EBSCOhost/CINAHL Complete and MEDLINE databases until April 2022. The studies reviewed covered the years between 2006 and 2020. The data were summarized narratively.

Review Methods: This systematic review was organized in accordance with the Cochrane 2022 guidelines and reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Results: Nine studies were included in the systematic review. No significant publication bias was found in the main results. The results showed that the cryotherapy intervention had a positive effect on oral mucositis in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.

Conclusions: In this systematic review of nine randomized controlled trials, the majority of the studies show that cryotherapy intervention can be an effective method for reducing oral mucositis in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.