Is oral mucositis occurring during chemotherapy for esophageal cancer patients correctly judged? EPOC observational cohort study

Background/Aim: Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the frequent adverse events experienced by patients receiving chemotherapy. Most diagnoses of OM are based on complaints from patients. The aim of this study was to develop a tool to diagnose OM accurately. Materials and Methods: A central review system (CRS) was created to allow judgment when the patient background is completely unknown. The primary endpoint was the rate of grade 2 or higher OM, and the secondary endpoint was the difference in grade between each institution’s clinician judgement and that of the CRS. Results: In total, 53 patients were registered from four institutions. CRS successfully detected grade 2 or higher OM in 16 (30.2%) of the 53 patients. The detection rate of all grades of OM was 41.5% (22 of 53 patients) by each institution’s clinician judgement and 84.9% (45 of 53 patients) by CRS judgement (p<0.0001). Conclusion: OM during chemotherapy may be underestimated.