Evaluating the needs of informal carers

Abstract

Sore mouth is a common symptom in cancer patients which impacts negatively on their quality of life. This audit was performed on consecutive admissions to an in-patient palliative care unit in Perth, Western Australia to assess the incidence of mouth soreness and the associated microbiological culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. Of patients, 24% (20/83) recorded a sore mouth. The most common organism isolated was Candida spp. (n = 8), followed by herpes simplex virus type I (HSV; n = 5), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 2) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 1). Only one of the five patients with HSV had the classic 'cold sore' lesion with crusting and ulceration on the lip. The others had non-specific findings such as erythema (n = 3), coated tongue (n = 2) or dry mouth (n = 3). The results highlight a greater incidence of HSV than previously reported and suggest further work to be performed on the aetiology and treatment of sore mouth in hospice patients.