Sharma, A., Rath, G. K., Chaudhary, S. P., Thakar, A., Mohanti, B. K., & Bahadur, S. (2012). Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges reduce radiation- and chemotherapy-induced mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990), 48(6), 875-881.
To determine the effectiveness of Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges on the incidence and severity of mucositis and tolerance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy
Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), stages II–IVA, who were receiving chemotherapy and radiation over a seven-week period, received daily treatment with lozenges containing either L. brevis DC2 or placebo. They were required to complete at least 30 out of the planned 35 fractions of radiation treatments and at least 6 of the cisplatin chemotherapy doses. L. brevis CD2 dosing was six lozenges daily, one lozenge every 2–3 hours, dissolved first in the mouth, then swallowed. Patients were to avoid hot beverages for at least 30 minutes before and after each treatment, to avoid affecting the efficacy of the lozenges. Placebo and active treatments were started the first day of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and continued for one week after the final treatment.
The study was conducted at a the Dr. B.R.A. Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in New Delhi, India.
This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.
Probiotic L. brevis CD2 lozenges can reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in the studied patient population, allowing the patients to complete the intended course of anticancer treatment.
The study is limited by the lack of the ability to generalize the results to other groups such as women, teenagers, or those undergoing chemotherapy alone.