A Quasi-experimental Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cryotherapy on Chemotherapy-induced Oral Mucositis Prevention at the Uganda Cancer Institute.

Introduction: Low-cost interventions such as cryotherapy are not routinely practiced in sub-Saharan Africa to prevent chemotherapeutic-induced oral mucositis. We investigated the feasibility and effect of cryotherapy on oral mucositis at the Uganda Cancer Institute.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental nonequivalent research study design. We had two groups with each group meant to have 100 participants. We analyzed based on participants who underwent the protocol procedures.
Results: Only cancer types were significantly different between the control and intervention groups (χ2=31.09, df =18, p=.030). Twenty percent (n=19) out of the 95, while 8.2% (n=7) out of the 85 in the control and intervention groups respectively developed moderate to severe mucositis (Mantel-Cox and Generalized Wilcoxon p= .026 and p=.031, respectively).
Conclusion: The use of cryotherapy in our local setting and many sub-Saharan African countries is feasible and affordable to prevent and control chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis.