Five‐year follow‐up of survival and relapse in patients who received cryotherapy during high‐dose chemotherapy for stem cell transplantation shows no safety concerns

SVANBERG A., ÖHRN K. & BIRGEGÅRD G. (2012) European Journal of Cancer Care Five‐year follow‐up of survival and relapse in patients who received cryotherapy during high‐dose chemotherapy for stem cell transplantation shows no safety concerns We have previously published a randomised controlled study of the efficacy of cryotherapy in preventing acute oral mucositis after high‐dose chemotherapy for stem cell transplantation. The present study is a 5‐year follow‐up safety study of survival in these patients. In the previously published study oral cryotherapy (cooling of the oral cavity) during high‐dose chemotherapy significantly reduced mucositis grade and opiate use in the treated group. All patients were followed up for at least 5 years with regard to relapse and death rates. Baseline data, transplant complications and mucositis data were compared. Significantly more patients (25/39) who received oral cryotherapy were alive after 5 years compared to 15/39 in the control group (P= 0.025). Relapse rates were similar. The only baseline difference was a lower proportion of patients in complete remission at transplantation in the control group (6 vs. 13, P= 0.047). This 5‐year follow‐up study gave no support for safety concerns with cryotherapy.