Supportive Care in Cancer最新文献

{"title":"Exploring patient experience of rehabilitation within the surgical pathway for lower limb soft tissue sarcoma in the UK: a single-centre study.","authors":"Lucy Dean, Siobhan Cowan-Dickie, Dirk C Strauss, Pauline Humphrey, Fiona Cramp","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09199-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09199-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The primary treatment for localised soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is surgery. Surgery for lower limb sarcoma is associated with poorer functional outcomes than other anatomical sites. Rehabilitation is essential, yet provision is not standardised, and patient experience of current service delivery is unknown. This study therefore aimed to explore patients' experiences of rehabilitation in the surgical pathway for lower limb STS at a United Kingdom (UK) specialist centre.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological study was undertaken to explore patients' rehabilitation experiences. Eight patients who had undergone lower limb STS surgery at a specialist centre were purposively sampled. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three main themes were identified: (1) Accessing the right services at the right time. Participants described good access to inpatient rehabilitation post-operatively but delays and challenges in accessing local services affected continuity of care. Rehabilitation gaps pre-operatively, and in facilitating return to meaningful activities, were described; (2) \"Communication is key\" - providing knowledge and support to navigate uncertainty. Unclear and unrealistic expectations of recovery were challenging. Communication was key to patients feeling supported and facilitating access to rehabilitation; (3) The importance of person-centred rehabilitation. Collaborative, person-centred rehabilitation optimised motivation and engagement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Participants experienced good access to inpatient rehabilitation post-operatively. In contrast, gaps and delays at other timepoints led to missed opportunities to support preparation for, and recovery from, surgery. A multidisciplinary approach across settings from diagnosis, to deliver person-centred rehabilitation, may improve access, expectation management and continuity of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"139"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11787157/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143075601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Palliative patients who may benefit from intranasal delivery of symptomatic drugs: a two-center observational study evaluated the administration of morphine and dexamethasone in Polish hospices.","authors":"Anna Ingielewicz, Zuzanna Brunka, Mateusz Szczupak, Robert K Szymczak","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09189-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09189-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Patients receiving hospice care at the end of life often suffer from a variety of ailments. They may need medication to alleviate symptoms for the rest of their lives. The most common and recommended way to take opioids and steroids is orally. Less frequently, the subcutaneous or intravenous routes are used. The intranasal route is a relatively uncommon but interesting alternative for administering drugs.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The study aims to identify hospice patients who may benefit from changing the standard opioid and steroid administration route to intranasal delivery.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>The electronic medical records of all home and inpatient hospice patients (both rural and urban) were analyzed between February and April 2024. The study focused on the magnitude and type of problems associated with taking medications via standard routes and assessed the potential for changing to an intranasal route of administration.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients who were prescribed morphine, dexamethasone, or both during co-administration were included in the analysis. Of the 282 patients receiving hospice care over the study period, 95 met the inclusion criteria (33.7%). According to the researcher's original survey 87% of patients experienced issues with taking medications through the standard route. Among the problems related to oral medicines, consciousness disorders were the most significant at 66%. For subcutaneous administration, the main issues were reluctance to inject at 19% and lack of cooperation from caregivers at 20%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The profile of a hospice patient who may benefit from intranasal administration of symptomatic drugs includes patients with impaired consciousness, aversion to subcutaneous injections, and reluctance to administer injections by caregivers.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"140"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11787208/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143075606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lifestyle recommendations and pelvic floor muscle training with Knack maneuver for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Ege Nur Atabey Gerlegiz, Türkan Akbayrak, Ceren Gürşen, Mustafa Sertaç Yazici, Naşide Mangir Bolat, Bülent Akdoğan, Gülbala Nakip, Serap Özgül","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09197-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09197-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The aim of this study is to investigate the additional effects of the Knack maneuver and comprehensive lifestyle recommendations to pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in individuals with post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PP-UI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seventy-one individuals with symptom of PP-UI were included. Individuals were randomly assigned to study groups (Group I: PFMT + Knack + Comprehensive Lifestyle Recommendations, Group II: PFMT + Knack, Group III: PFMT alone). Assessments were performed at the baseline and at the end of the 8th week. The primary outcome was the subjective severity and impact of UI. Secondary outcomes were objective severity of UI, health-related quality of life (QoL) and patient global impression of severity and improvement. Descriptive and outcome measures were compared between study groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The Games-Howell post hoc test was also used to indicate which groups differ.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 66 patients were included in the final analysis. Per protocol analysis in all three groups showed significant improvements in all primary and secondary outcomes in eight weeks. The group of patients who had the PFMT + Knack + Comprehensive Lifestyle Recommendations had the greatest improvement in all outcome measures (p < 0.001). In addition, while PFMT + Knack showed superiority in terms of subjective UI severity and effect of UI on daily life, compared to PFMT alone (p < 0.001), there was no inter-group differences for objective UI severity and other subdomains of QoL (p > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Adding comprehensive lifestyle recommendations and/or Knack maneuver to traditional PFMT is more effective in the management of post-prostatectomy UI in the short term. Further long-term follow-up studies should be planned to investigate compliance and response to these combined interventions.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial registration number: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04804839. Date of registration: 03/17/2021.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"132"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11785613/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The psychological effects of protective isolation on haematological stem cell transplant patients: an integrative, descriptive review.","authors":"Rachel S Lee, Lesley E Halliday","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09186-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09186-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Protective isolation is used during haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to protect patients at increased risk of infection. However, it is suggested that the intensity of strict isolation conditions combined with intense treatments can impact patients psychologically. This review explored the psychological effect of protective isolation on HSCT patients.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>CINAHL, MEDLINE, and ASSIA databases were used to search for qualitative research undertaken between 2016 and 2023. Quality was appraised using the CASP tool and thematic analysis was utilised to identify themes using Thomas and Harden as a guiding framework.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five papers were included and demonstrated that being in protective isolation during HSCT hospitalisation and after discharge created a feeling of disconnection from others and society, and that long periods of contemplation and a feeling of loss of control led to negative psychological impacts. All included papers found that patients experienced a range of negative emotional states during their time in protective isolation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Psychological health management is an important part of holistic patient care. Patients who experience HSCT report considerable negative psychological effects from the need for protective isolation. Interventions and strategies to improve this are slow to be developed and have not received the necessary focus in recent years. Critically, to maximise the patient experience and provide the best care possible, interventions are urgently required to minimise the longer-term psychological impact of HSCT in this patient group to contribute to maximising quality of life post-HSCT.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"133"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11785653/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143067449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patient and caregiver perspectives on treatment decision-making for stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma.","authors":"Doris K Hansen, Todd Bixby, Karen Fixler, Lisa Shea, Jodie Martin, Christine Brittle, Yi-Hsuan Liu, Kimberly Brunisholz, Jinhai Stephen Huo","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09195-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09195-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is considered standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) but is still associated with substantial challenges for patients and caregivers. Given the challenging treatment process and availability of other treatment options, it is important to engage patients in treatment decision-making, particularly patients with MM who may have unique goals and preferences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted an exploratory focus-group study to evaluate how patients and caregivers make treatment decisions related to SCT. Fourteen patients who underwent SCT and 3 caregivers participated in three 2-h focus-group sessions. All 17 patients were selected from Janssen's Patient Engagement Research Council. Discussions focused on conversations about SCT, considerations for decision-making, and reflections about the decision to undergo SCT. This study was reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants initially had limited knowledge about SCT but received information from their doctors and sought information from various sources. Key considerations during decision-making included long-term health impacts, side effects, and logistical and financial concerns. Most participants reported that they never considered or were never offered other treatment options, highlighting a need for improved education on available treatments for MM. Some participants also shared a desire for more information about the SCT process, particularly the recovery period, which they found more difficult than expected.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings highlight potential opportunities for improved education to enhance shared decision-making in patients undergoing SCT and their caregivers.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"134"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143075610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging the digital divide for outpatients treated with anticancer chemotherapy: a retrospective quantitative and qualitative analysis of an adapted electronic Patient Reported Outcome program.","authors":"Coralie Boiteau, Natividad Alarcon, Charlotte Joly, Charlotte Fenioux, Claire Queval, Sylvie Dutendas, Isabelle Bartoszczyk, Hadjer Ben Nadji, Meriem Bouayed, Claude Ganter, Naël Quatrehomme, Catherine Agius, Christophe Tournigand, Emmanuelle Kempf","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09171-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09171-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Using electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) in clinical trial has shown benefits for patients. However, the digital divide can lead to unequal access to telehealth. We investigated whether a dedicated support program could bridge that divide.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between February 2021 and June 2022, outpatients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer at our teaching hospital in France were given the Onco'nect® ePRO application if they were affected by the digital divide. They were also offered a dedicated support program that included the lending of a tablet, access to healthcare professionals, training, technical support, and peer-to-peer guidance. We conducted semi-structured interviews to assess the challenges they faced.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We enrolled 22 patients, of whom 10 (45%) made good use of the application and completed > 50% of the questionnaires in the application, while 5 (23%) completed > 75%. However, 12 (55%) of the 22 patients remained poor users of the application over a median participation of 4 months (IQR, 3-7). We also measured social deprivation but found no association with questionnaire completion rate. The under-use of Onco'nect® was due not only to the patients' understanding of its clinical benefit or to their computer skills, but also to poor health literacy and strong emotional responses to using the application.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Dedicated support programs help many patients make the most of telehealth. However, most of our patients in the digital divide under-used the ePRO application, primarily due to their poor health literacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"130"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11782441/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Responsive cancer care in Asia: stigma and pain must be acknowledged and addressed.","authors":"Ellie Bostwick Andres, Louisa Poco, Ishwarya Balasubramanian, Isha Chaudhry, Semra Ozdemir, Maria Fidelis Manalo, Rubayat Rahman, Rudi Putranto, Anjum Khan Joad, Sushma Bhatnagar, Gayatri Palat, Lubna Mariam, Nattiya Kapol, Chetna Malhotra","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09173-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09173-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study investigates whether cancer-related stigma and pain among patients with advanced cancer influences their perceptions of receiving responsive care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We surveyed 2138 advanced cancer patients from 11 hospitals in eight Asian countries. Participants rated their most recent healthcare visit and a hypothetical patient's experience described in vignettes concerning dignity, clarity of information, and involvement in decision-making. We used the vignettes to correct for differences in patients' reporting behaviors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 39% of patients perceived cancer-related stigma, and 66% reported moderate or severe pain. While most patients rated their own experience of being treated with dignity (89%), receiving clear information (82%), and involvement in decision-making (79%) as \"good\" or \"very good,\" they generally rated the vignettes less favorably compared to their own care experience. The negative relationship between perceived stigma and severe pain and health system responsiveness was established through the ordered probit models (p < 0.05 for all domains). Correcting for reporting heterogeneity amplified the negative association for all three domains of health system responsiveness for both moderate and severe pain and perceived stigma (p ≤ 0.01 for all domains).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The widespread prevalence of cancer-related stigma and pain documented in this study across a diverse sample of patients with advanced cancer is concerning. Moreover, perceived stigma and pain pervade patients' interactions with the healthcare system, diminishing their experience of being treated with dignity, receiving clear information, and participating in decision-making. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing stigma and pain to ensure responsive care for advanced cancer patients in Asia.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"128"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in physical activity since cancer diagnosis and associations with health-related quality of life: a study of adults living with advanced cancer.","authors":"Megan Agnew, Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, Kristine Kwekkeboom, Amy Trentham-Dietz, Ronald Gangnon, Christian Schmidt, Shaneda Warren Andersen","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09196-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09196-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Physical activity (PA) is associated with better quality of life for cancer survivors; however, less is known about this association among individuals with advanced cancer. This study assesses whether changes in PA following an advanced cancer diagnosis are associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected from 247 participants in a survey of adults with advanced cancer who visited the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center (January 2021-2023). PA since cancer diagnosis was assessed using a validated, self-reported tool. HRQoL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System measures of physical function, fatigue, and pain interference. We used generalized linear models to assess relationships between PA and HRQoL.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most adults with advanced cancer were insufficiently active (53%), and reported a lot less activity (41%) after diagnosis, followed by a little less activity (33%), and the same/more activity (26%). Compared to the other activity groups, those who reported a lot less activity had the worst HRQoL scores, including lower HRQoL (x̄ = 70.3 vs. x̄ = 82.6, 90.7) and physical function (x̄ = 40.3 vs. x̄ = 47.3, 52.5), and higher fatigue (x̄ = 59.3 vs. x̄ = 51.4, 42.3) and pain interference (x̄ = 55.5 vs. x̄ = 48.8, 45.6).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Adults with advanced cancer who report PA reductions have worse HRQoL, higher pain and fatigue, and lower physical function than those engaging in the same/more PA since their diagnosis. Future interventions focused on improving HRQoL among adults with advanced cancer should incorporate light-intensity PA to reduce declines following diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The current state and future direction of childcare for cancer patients: a narrative review.","authors":"Hasiya Yusuf, Abhishek Kumar","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09174-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09174-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>One in four patients diagnosed with cancer are parents to dependent children. For these patients, childcare services are needed to overcome the time demands of cancer treatment. Despite the childcare support needs and its potential impact on treatment outcomes, targeted childcare services for cancer patients remain limited. This review highlights the state of childcare services and strategies to address the current chasm in childcare for parents diagnosed with cancer.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase was conducted and 77 studies in the English Language on Childcare services for parents with cancer published between January 1990 and May 2024 were identified and reviewed.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The burden of cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment imposes physical, psychological, financial, and time constraints on cancer patients with young dependents. Many cancer patients with children miss treatment appointments and encounter treatment delays due to challenges with childcare. Limited access to childcare is further exacerbated by the financial and time toxicities of cancer and unconventional treatment needs such as emergency department visits, fatigue, and other complications of cancer treatment. So far, only one cancer-center-linked childcare program exists in the U.S., highlighting the scale of unmet need for childcare support in cancer patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>and relevance. Providing non-traditional childcare services, home-based or hospital-based childcare structures, and financial assistance through medical institutions, professional organizations, insurance payers, and government-funded programs could bridge the current gap in childcare needs for parents with a cancer diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"129"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11782393/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143066669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oral microbiota in head and neck cancer patients during radiotherapy: a systematic review.","authors":"Deise Kwiatkowski, Lauren Frenzel Schuch, Natália Mincato Klaus, Manoela Domingues Martins, Juliana Balbinot Hilgert, Lina Naomi Hashizume","doi":"10.1007/s00520-025-09191-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00520-025-09191-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Radiotherapy (RT) in the head and neck (HN) area causes a series of oral complications and the oral microbiota may play an important role in these complications. The aim of this systematic review was to explore alterations in the oral microbiota among individuals undergoing RT in the HN region.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search across six databases and grey literature was made. No limitations were imposed on language or publication year. Studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were considered for inclusion.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-six articles met the criteria for inclusion in this systematic review. These studies varied in terms of radiation doses administered (ranging from 40 Gy to 82.60 Gy), microorganisms analyzed, locations within the oral cavity examined, and timing of assessments. Additionally, different methods of analysis were employed by the studies. Regarding oral microbiota changes, post-RT, there was significant increase in Candida species. Bacterial microbiota experienced increases, notably including Streptococcus mutans (S.mutans) and Lactobacillus, with dynamic fluctuations.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>RT in the HN region induces significant changes in oral microbiota, including increases in S. mutans, Lactobacillus and Candida species colonization, and decreases in beneficial bacteria such as Neisseria and Fusobacteria. These microbiota changes may contribute to oral complications post-RT, emphasizing the need for preventive measures and targeted therapies to manage oral health in HN cancer patients undergoing RT.</p>","PeriodicalId":22046,"journal":{"name":"Supportive Care in Cancer","volume":"33 2","pages":"127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143060756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}