Oral Mucositis in Children with Cancer in Southeast of Iran: A Single Center Study

Background: Oral mucositis is a significant side effect in patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, particularly in pediatric oncology. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis and its associated factors in children with malignancies. Methods: This descriptive, prospective study included 100 children under 16 years of age with lymphohematopoietic malignancies, solid tumors, or central nervous system tumors admitted to the pediatric oncology department due to mucositis. Patients were categorized into three age groups: Zero - 5 years, 6 - 10 years, and 11 - 16 years. Data collected included demographic details such as age, sex, type of malignancy, and mucositis severity. The chi-square statistical test was used for data analysis. Results: The average age of participants was 7.84 ± 3.93 years. Sixty-one percent of the patients were boys, and 39% were girls. The age group 0 - 5 years had the highest prevalence of mucositis, while the 11 - 16 years age group had the lowest. The majority of mucositis cases (64%) were observed in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), followed by acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) patients (12%), and other malignancies (24%). Grade II mucositis was the most common, affecting 34% of patients, while grade IV mucositis was the least common, affecting 13% of patients. Conclusions: Chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis was most prevalent among children with acute leukemia, constituting three-quarters of the cases. Grade II mucositis was the most frequently observed severity level, while grade IV mucositis was the least frequent. These findings underscore the need for targeted strategies to manage and prevent mucositis, particularly in high-risk groups like pediatric leukemia patients.