Management of gastrointestinal mucositis due to cancer therapies in pediatric patients: results of a case series with SAMITAL(®).

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Gastrointestinal mucositis is a common debilitating complication of chemotherapy and one for which there is currently no effective long-term treatment.

OBJECTIVES:

To report our experience with the use of SAMITAL(®), a new oral suspension formulation based on the combination of three standardized extracts from Vaccinium myrtillus, Macleaya cordata fruits and Echinacea angustifolia roots in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal mucositis in pediatric patients.

METHODS:

20 pediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy for a range of oncological conditions were followed. Patients initially received oral SAMITAL(®) to treat gastrointestinal mucositis and were then given SAMITAL(®) prophylactically to prevent recurrences with successive cycles of chemotherapy.

RESULTS:

SAMITAL(®) significantly decreased gastrointestinal mucositis grade after the first episode with a reduction of mean scores from 3.2 ± 0.7 at baseline to 0.4 ± 0.6 at the end of treatment (p < 0.001). SAMITAL(®) reduced pain, mucosal erosions, bleeding and dysphagia/feeding impairment. SAMITAL(®) improved patients' overall condition and quality of life after the first administration and lowered the need for parenteral nutrition. Importantly, it allowed chemotherapy cycles to be continued without complications.

CONCLUSION:

Results from this case series suggest that SAMITAL(®) may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal mucositis in children and adolescents and as such warrants investigation in controlled studies.

• Authors: Juan Carlos Bertoglio, Isabel Folatre, Ezio Bombardelli, Antonella Riva, Paolo Morazzoni, Massimo Ronchi, Giovanna Petrangolini
• Journal: Future oncology (London, England) (Future Oncol) Vol. 8 Issue 11 Pg. 1481-6 (Nov 2012) ISSN: 1744-8301 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23148620 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Plant Extracts
• samital

Topics

• Adolescent
• Antineoplastic Agents (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Female
• Humans
• Infant
• Male
• Mucositis (drug therapy, etiology)
• Neoplasms (complications, drug therapy)
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Extracts (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Treatment Outcome