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

• Published in: Future oncology (London, England) Vol. 8; no. 11; pp. 1481 - 1486
• Main Authors: Bertoglio, Juan Carlos, Folatre, Isabel, Bombardelli, Ezio, Riva, Antonella, Morazzoni, Paolo, Ronchi, Massimo, Petrangolini, Giovanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.11.2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; hematological; Humans; Infant; Male; mucositis; Mucositis - drug therapy; Mucositis - etiology; Neoplasms - complications; Neoplasms - drug therapy; oncology; pediatrics; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - adverse effects; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; SAMITAL; solid tumors; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1479-6694; 1744-8301
• DOI: 10.2217/fon.12.132

Gastrointestinal mucositis is a common debilitating complication of chemotherapy and one for which there is currently no effective long-term treatment. To report our experience with the use of SAMITAL , a new oral suspension formulation based on the combination of three standardized extracts from , fruits and Echinacea angustifolia roots in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal mucositis in pediatric patients. 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. 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. 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.