Clinical Outcomes of Ankaferd Hemostat Mouthwash for High-Grade Oral Mucositis During Systemic Anticancer Therapy: A Single-Center, Retrospective, Single-Arm Cohort Study

Background/Objectives: Oral mucositis (OM) is a serious toxicity that develops due to cancer treatment and impairs patients’ quality of life. Ankaferd Hemostat (AH), a phytotherapeutic agent, has anti-inflammatory and tissue-healing properties. This study evaluated the clinical outcomes and safety of topical AH in adult patients with solid tumors who developed grade 3 or 4 OM during systemic anticancer therapy. Methods: A single-center retrospective, single-arm study was conducted between 2020 and 2024 and included 43 patients with solid tumors. They developed OM while undergoing systemic cancer therapy and were treated with topic AH. Mucositis severity was graded using the World Health Organization (WHO) OM scale, and pain intensity was assessed using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) daily, from baseline until clinical resolution. Treatment response, recovery time and adverse events were analyzed. Results: Of the 43 patients included in the study, 81.4% had grade 3 OM and the others had grade 4 OM. Grade 0 was observed in 86% of patients after treatment. Among the 37 patients achieving Grade 0, median time to recovery was 4 days (IQR 4–5). The median NRS score was 5 points before treatment and 0 after treatment (p < 0.001). No Grade ≥ 2 adverse events were observed. Only one patient reported mild dry mouth. Conclusions: In this retrospective cohort, AH mouthwash was associated with rapid mucosal recovery and no severe adverse events were documented in patients with high-grade OM, supporting its potential to reduce oncological treatment toxicity; prospective controlled studies are warranted to confirm these findings.