CAPHOSOL results in minimal oral mucositis and pain in head/neck cance...( SEATTLE Wash. November 15 2008 New ...),Health

SEATTLE, Wash., November 15, 2008 New data show that CAPHOSOL (www.caphosol.com), an advanced electrolyte solution, results in low rates of oral mucositis and pain in patients with head and neck (HN) cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The data, which were presented today at the Advanced Practice Nursing Conference of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), demonstrate that use of CAPHOSOL from the initiation of cancer treatment results in a low incidence of oral mucositis (OM) and is associated with high levels of patient and physician satisfaction and medication compliance.

The findings are the latest to suggest that CAPHOSOL use can benefit cancer patients in the management of OM and related symptoms.

"For cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy, oral mucositis can be one of the more common and most dreaded complications of treatment, with a profound impact on quality of life," said principal investigator Marilyn L. Haas, PhD, RN, CNS, ANP-C, a nurse practitioner at Carolina Clinical Consultant in Asheville, N.C. "Oral mucositis results from erosion of epithelial cells in the oral cavity -- cells lining the surface of the throat and esophagus -- during therapy. The condition can cause severe pain, making it difficult for patients to eat and swallow food, while leaving them more susceptible to infection. In our registry, patients and physicians report that CAPHOSOL helps to improve quality of life while limiting the occurrence and severity of oral mucositis."

Dr. Haas and colleagues reported data from 68 patients with HN cancer enrolled in an open-label, observational registry maintained at 26 treatment centers in the U.S. The patients were considered at high risk of developing OM based on the nature of the cancer treatments they received. Most of the patients were male (74 percent) and Caucasian (85 percent). Radiation therapy was administered to 2
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