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Oral Mucositis

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Abstract

Oral mucositis refers to erythematous and ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa observed in patients with cancer being treated with chemotherapy and/or with radiation therapy to fields involving the oral cavity. Oral mucositis, the breakdown of the mucosal lining of the oropharynx, occurs as a result of a toxic insult to the normal epithelium of the oral mucosa. Mucositis is also defined as inflammatory lesions of the oral and/or gastrointestinal tract caused by high-dose cancer therapies. The gastrointestinal tract mucositis refers to the expression of mucosal injury across the continuum of oral and gastrointestinal mucosa, from the mouth to the anus.

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Correspondence to Nagi B. Kumar Ph.D .

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Kumar, N.B. (2012). Oral Mucositis. In: Nutritional Management of Cancer Treatment Effects. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27233-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27233-2_5

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