The Effect of Cryotherapy on the Prevention of Oral Mucositis and on the Oral pH Value in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cryotherapy on the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) and on the oral pH value in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation.
Data Sources: This nonrandomized controlled clinical trial was carried out in Bone Marrow Transplant Centers of three hospitals with total 32 patients. In addition to standard oral care, a total of 80 minutes of cryotherapy was applied to the experimental group. OM was assessed according to the World Health Organization's Oral Toxicity Scale before chemotherapy and for 21 days after chemotherapy (every day in the first 14 days, then every other day until the 21st day [if not discharged]).
Conclusion: According to the findings, cryotherapy did not change the incidence of oral OM, and neither affected the severity of nor decreased the duration of it. Oral pH value was found to be significantly different between the patient groups only before and 1 day after chemotherapy.
Implications for Nursing Practice: Cryotherapy is an inexpensive, easy-to-use method with no side effects; it would be beneficial to continue cryotherapy to prevent the development of OM in patients with cancer receiving drugs with a short half-life such as melphalan. It is also recommended to conduct further studies with different chemotherapy drugs with short half-lives to determine its effect on the prevention of OM development.
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