Chemotherapy and Mouth Sores: Far Worse Than ‘Canker Sores’
Chemotherapy comes with a long list of side effects, with mouth sores ranking among the very worst. These painful ulcers can cause severe pain, infection, and even delay cancer treatment.
While many treatment strategies exist, not all are equally effective. Keep reading to learn about cryotherapy and why it is quickly emerging as a leading approach to help protect cancer patients from this horrible side effect of chemotherapy.
Facing Chemo?
Here’s Why Mouth Sores Should Be on Your Radar
A cancer diagnosis changes everything. When you’re battling cancer, side effects can feel like an unavoidable aspect of treatment. But some side effects, like mouth sores, deserve extra attention because they can truly affect your comfort and health.
Mouth sores caused by chemotherapy, also called oral mucositis or stomatitis, aren’t just inconvenient; patients often say they are the most debilitating side effect of chemo. They make eating, drinking, talking, and even sleeping difficult. In severe cases, mouth sores can lead to infections, ER visits, opioid or analgesic use, and delayed treatment—something no patient wants!
What Exactly is Oral Mucositis?
Oral mucositis is the medical term for painful ulcers that develop in your mouth during certain cancer treatments, especially chemo. Unlike a single canker sore, these ulcers can spread across your gums, cheeks, tongue, and lips when the chemo medications inadvertently attack the healthy cells in the lining of your mouth.
Oral mucositis is one of the most common side effects of chemo, especially for breast and ovarian cancer patients. It affects between 40-80% of patients, depending on treatment type.
Oral mucositis from chemo may be the most dangerous side effect and can cause:
- Treatment delays or dose reductions, impacting your cancer care
- Severe pain that makes eating or drinking feel impossible
- Malnutrition and weight loss, because chewing and swallowing hurts; a feeding tube may be needed
- Increased risk of infection, open sores allow bacteria to easily enter the bloodstream
- Higher ER visits and hospitalizations, increasing overall care costs
Why Wait Until It Hurts? Protect Yourself!
Many patients hear about the risk of mouth sores from their doctor and assume they can deal with it if it happens. But that approach can cause unnecessary pain, complications, and costs. Protect yourself before mouth sores appear.
Traditional Approaches to Dealing with Mouth Sores: Do They Work?
Historically, doctors recommended products such as:
- Magic mouthwash (a mix of medications like lidocaine and antacids)
- Oral gels and rinses
- Artificial saliva
- Good oral hygiene (brushing gently, rinsing with baking soda/salt water)
These options only aim to provide temporary relief, and not to actually stop mouth sores from occurring in the first place, and there is limited clinical data proving the benefits of these options.
The Game-Changer: Cryotherapy (Cold Therapy)
In recent years, cryotherapy (cold temperature applied to the body) has gained traction in cancer care. It’s already used to reduce hair and nerve loss and now helps protect your mouth. And it’s a drug-free therapy.
So how does it work? Cryotherapy uses cold temperatures to cool your mouth during and after chemo infusions. Cold shrinks the blood vessels, a process called vasoconstriction. Shrinking the blood vessels in the mouth thereby reduces the amount of chemotherapy that reaches your mouth. Lowering the exposure to chemo reduces the risk and severity of mouth sores. Oral cryotherapy provides this protection before mouth sores have a chance to begin.
Limitations of Traditional Cryotherapy (Ice Chips, Popsicles)
For decades, patients have been told to suck on ice chips or popsicles during chemo to provide cryotherapy to the mouth. While these options can help, they’re far from perfect. Here’s why:
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- Ice and popsicles only cool part of the mouth, not the entire oral cavity
- Ice can be uncomfortable, melts quickly, and is hard to sustain during long infusions
- Swallowing excess water from the melting ice and popsicles can cause nausea or vomiting
- Potential bacteria risk for patients from unclean ice machines
That’s where a new, easy-to-use oral cryotherapy device comes in. Designed specifically to cool and protect the entire mouth evenly and effectively during infusion and at home afterwards (while chemo is still circulating). Learn about an FDA cleared option to reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis.
Lifestyle Tips for Extra Protection
Some tips to discuss with your healthcare team to lower your risk of oral mucositis and stay comfortable:
- Practice gentle oral hygiene: Use a soft toothbrush and alcohol-free mouthwash
- Rinse regularly: Salt water and baking soda rinses can keep your mouth clean
- Avoid irritants: Avoid spicy, acidic, or very hot foods. Skip alcohol and tobacco
- Stay hydrated: Dry mouth can make sores worse
- Report symptoms early: Don’t wait! If you notice soreness or pain, talk to your care team immediately
Empower Yourself: You Have Options
The bottom line: oral mucositis is common, but you can protect yourself. By taking proactive steps, like discussing cryotherapy with your doctor and practicing good oral care, you can significantly reduce your risk.
Start the conversation with your oncology team today about supportive care options that can help reduce the risk of painful oral side effects.
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