Abordagens terapêuticas para xerostomia e hipossalivação em pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço submetidos à radioterapia: revisão de literatura

Abstract

Radiotherapy is one of the most commonly used therapeutic approaches for treating malignant neoplasms. Although non-invasive and highly effective, patients often experience adverse reactions, such as hyposalivation, xerostomia, mucositis, altered taste, dysphagia, and osteoradionecrosis. Radiation leads to hyposalivation and xerostomia when salivary glands are within the irradiation field, considerably impacting patient’s quality of life. However, there is no consensus on standardized interventions for managing these issues. This literature review aimed to evaluate treatment approaches for hyposalivation and xerostomia in patients with head and neck malignancies undergoing radiotherapy. A search was conducted in the PUBMED database using the descriptors “hyposalivation,” “head and neck neoplasm,” “radiotherapy,” and “treatment,” combined with the Boolean operator “AND.” After reviewing titles, abstracts, and excluding irrelevant publications, 13 randomized clinical trials were selected from 373 results published in the past 5 years. Despite advancements in available therapies, the results indicated that no single intervention stands out as a definitive solution. Therefore, the management of xerostomia should be personalized, considering patient preferences and individual conditions. The combination of therapeutic approaches may provide more effective relief and improve quality of life. Future studies are needed to establish optimized protocols and better understand the long-term effects of these interventions.