ABSTRACT
Mucositis is recognized as one of the principal dose-limiting factors
during 5FU-based chemotherapy, or treatment with several new
targeted agents. It is also one of the main intensity-limiting acute
toxicities during radiotherapy and radio-chemotherapy for head and
neck cancer, and during hematopoietic cell transplant conditioning.
Pathologic evaluation of mucositis reveals mucosal thinning leading
to a shallow ulcer thought to be caused by inflammation and
depletion of the epithelial basal layer with subsequent denudation
and bacterial infection. The wound-healing response to this injury is
characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration, interstitial exudate,
fibrin and cell debris producing a “pseudomembrane” analogous to
the eschar of a superficial skin wound [1].
