Honey and a Mixture of Honey, Beeswax, and Olive Oil-Propolis Extract in Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Oral Mucositis: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

• Published in: Pediatric hematology and oncology Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 285 - 292
• Main Authors: Abdulrhman, Mamdouh, Samir Elbarbary, Nancy, Ahmed Amin, Dina, Saeid Ebrahim, Rania
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa Healthcare 30.03.2012; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Administration, Topical; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Child; Drug Therapy, Combination - methods; Honey; Humans; mucositis; Olive Oil; Pilot Projects; Plant Oils; Propolis; Stomatitis - chemically induced; Stomatitis - drug therapy; Treatment Outcome; Waxes
• ISSN: 0888-0018; 1521-0669
• DOI: 10.3109/08880018.2012.669026

In spite of being one of the most investigated subjects among supportive care in cancer, no therapy has been found effective in treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. Based on the observations that honey bees products have anti-inflammatory and wound healing effects, the present study tried to evaluate the effect of topical application of honey and a mixture of honey, olive oil-propolis extract, and beeswax (HOPE) in treatment of oral mucositis. This was a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted on 90 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and oral mucositis grades 2 and 3. The mean age of enrolled patients was 6.9 years. The patients were assigned into 3 equal treatment groups: Honey, HOPE, and control groups. Topical treatment for each patient consists of honey, HOPE, and benzocaine gel for honey, HOPE, and control groups, respectively. Recovery time in grade 2 mucositis was significantly reduced in the honey group as compared with either HOPE or controls (P < .05). In grade 3 mucositis, recovery time did not differ significantly between honey and HOPE (P = 0.61) but compared with controls, healing was faster with either honey or HOPE (P < .01). Generally, in both grades of mucositis, honey produced faster healing than either HOPE or controls (P < .05). Based on our results that showed that honey produced faster healing in patients with grade 2/3 chemotherapy-induced mucositis, we recommend using honey and possibly other bee products and olive oil in future therapeutic trials targeting chemotherapy-induced mucositis