Effect of acyclovir on radiation- and chemotherapy-induced mouth lesions
- Harvard-Thorndike Laboratory of Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA (USA)
Several chemotherapeutic regimens and radiation therapy, if delivered to the oral mucosa, are associated with a high frequency of mouth lesions. The cause of this side effect is not known for certain, but in past studies it has sometimes been associated with the ability to culture herpes simplex virus type 1 from the mouth. In a double-blind prospective trial, patients with head and neck tumors treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy were treated with either acyclovir or placebo. Although the frequency of culture-positive herpes simplex virus was low in the untreated group, it was significantly lower, zero, in the acyclovir-treated group. However, there were no differences in the frequency or type of mouth lesions experienced by patients receiving either radiation or chemotherapy who were taking acyclovir or placebo. These results suggest that herpes simplex virus is not a frequent cause or complication of oral lesions afflicting this patient population.
- OSTI ID:
- 5543410
- Journal Information:
- Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; (USA), Vol. 33:6; ISSN 0066-4804
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ANTIBIOTICS
RADIOSENSITIVITY EFFECTS
ORAL CAVITY
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
CHEMOTHERAPY
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MUCOUS MEMBRANES
PATIENTS
RADIATION INJURIES
ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
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DRUGS
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
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NUCLEAR MEDICINE
RADIATION EFFECTS
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SKIN DISEASES
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