Situation and Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Oral Mucositis by High Dose Methotrexate Therapy in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Objective To explore the situation and the influencing factors of oral mucositis by high dose methotrexate(HD-MTX) therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and provide scientific evidences to prevent and reduce the incidence of oral mucositis after HD-MTX therapy. Methods A total of 200 cases of clinical data after HD-MTX therapy according to CCLG-ALL2008 in West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University from May 2010 to January 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. The situation and influencing factors of oral mucositis were discussed. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Board of Investigation in Human Beings of West China Second University Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from the parents of each participating patient. Results The incidence of oral mucositis was 14.5% (29/200)．The buccal mucosa had highest incidence of 41.4%(12/29)．Degree Ⅱ oral mucositis had highest incidence of 41.4% (12/29)．The study showed that the influencing factor of oral mucositis was the choice of mouthwash[OR = 2.450, 95%CI(1.038-5.784), P = 0.041]. Conclusions It is important to pay more attention to oral nursing and the choice of mouthwash in children with ALL after HD-MTX. Key words: Methotrexate; Stomatitis; Precursor cell lymphoblastic leukemia-lymphoma; Child