SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2011
A systematic review with meta-analysis of the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 273 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is photobiomodulation an effective preventive strategy for oral mucositis in patients with hematologic diseases undergoing chemotherapy?: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Lasers in medical science · 2026Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation therapy on chemo- and radiotherapy induced oral conditions: an umbrella review.BMC oral health · 2024Pooled it
- Oral cryotherapy for management of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in haematopoietic cell transplantation: a systematic review.BMC cancer · 2022Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation in oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis followed by a cost-effectiveness analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- Is photobiomodulation therapy effective in reducing pain caused by toxicities related to head and neck cancer treatment? A systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review of photobiomodulation for the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients and clinical practice guidelines.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy of low-level laser for treatment of cancer oral mucositis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Lasers in medical science · 2019Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in pediatric and young patients.European journal of pediatrics · 2018Pooled it
- Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in management of symptomatic oral lichen planus: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2017Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effect of prophylactic low level laser therapy on oral mucositis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Systematic review of laser and other light therapy for the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2013Pooled it
- Trial
- Extraoral photobiomodulation for prevention of oral and oropharyngeal mucositis in head and neck cancer patients: interim analysis of a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Effect of low-level laser therapy on patient reported measures of oral mucositis and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients receiving chemoradiotherapy--a randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2013Trial
- Automated Optical Treatment Based on Diffuse Reflectance Signals.Journal of biophotonics · 2026Article
- A Case Series on the Combined Use of Zinc L-Carnosine and Nd:YAG Photobiomodulation for Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis: Pain Reduction and Lesion Improvement.Case reports in dentistry · 2026Article
- Feasibility Study of a Novel Stent-Based Low-Level Laser Therapy Device for Reducing Severe Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis.Lasers in surgery and medicine · 2025Article
- Bibliometric Analysis of the 100 Most Cited Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis in Oral Pathology.Cureus · 2025Review
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe purpose of this study is to review the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in the prevention and treatment of cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis (OM).
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials of LLLT performed during chemotherapy or radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients.
resultsWe found 11 randomised placebo-controlled trials with a total of 415 patients; methodological quality was acceptable at 4.10 (SD ± 0.74) on the 5-point Jadad scale. The relative risk (RR) for developing OM was significantly (p = 0.02) reduced after LLLT compared with placebo LLLT (RR = 2.03 (95% CI, 1.11 to 3.69)). This preventive effect of LLLT improved to RR = 2.72 (95% CI, 1.98 to 3.74) when only trials with adequate doses above 1 J were included. For treatment of OM ulcers, the number of days with OM grade 2 or worse was significantly reduced after LLLT to 4.38 (95% CI, 3.35 to 5.40) days less than placebo LLLT. Oral mucositis severity was also reduced after LLLT with a standardised mean difference of 1.33 (95% CI, 0.68 to 1.98) over placebo LLLT. All studies registered possible side-effects, but they were not significantly different from placebo LLLT.
conclusionsThere is consistent evidence from small high-quality studies that red and infrared LLLT can partly prevent development of cancer therapy-induced OM. LLLT also significantly reduced pain, severity and duration of symptoms in patients with cancer therapy-induced OM.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.