Hi, my brother is really struggling with.mputh sores and ulcers from his chemo treatment.
Is there any particular product that you could recommend he use?
He has used the mouth wash from starting treatment and this has not helped.
He us now x3 treatments down with one to go before having a scan to monitor progress.
Many thanks.
Dear MandyK
Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome to our Online Community. I’m Kelly one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the support line here at Macmillan.
I’m sorry to hear that your brother is struggling with a sore mouth. We know that chemotherapy can make the lining of the mouth very sensitive and inflamed. This can lead to ulcers sometimes called oral mucositis.
The UK Oral Management in Cancer Care Group (UKOMiC) offers guidance and support to doctors and nurses about what products to recommend for each person. The guidance is very medical in places but may be useful to make any doctors or nurses looking after your brother know that you are aware of this.
UKOMiC recommends using a recognised grading system such as the WHO oral Toxicity Scale to assess the level of symptoms better to understand the best way to manage any oral symptoms. This may include mouthwashes, gels or sprays for the mouth.
I have included an example of oral products which may be considered. Not all products will be suitable for each person.
This is why we are unable to recommend a specific product as we are not directly involved with your brothers care to be able to do an accurate assessment of his symptoms.
We would encourage your brother to get back in touch with his consultant, named cancer nurse specialist or GP. They will be able to arrange an appointment to review his mouth care moving forward.
You can also call the chemotherapy ward where your brother is having treatment for further advice if you are unable to speak to anyone straight away.
He may have already been given an emergency helpline number if he is worried about having an infection while having chemotherapy.
Sometimes having a sore mouth can cause other problems such as eating and drinking problems which can lead to weight loss. It’s important to let the doctors know if this is happening too. They can refer your brother to a dietician if needed for a personalised diet plan to manage this better if needed.
In the meantime our building up diet information gives some general hints and tips when someone may not be eating enough.
I hope this has helped a little to move forward with your concerns today. I hope you know that we are here to support you too.
If you’d like to talk through your concerns in more detail and be able to ask questions, please don’t hesitate to call our support line where you can speak with one of our nurses.
Take care,
Kelly
Cancer Information Nurse Specialists
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
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