Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2014
A randomized placebo-controlled trial of manuka honey for radiation-induced oral mucositis.
Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 38 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
"The Efficacy of Honey or Olive Oil on the Severity and Pain of Oral Mucositis Compared to Placebo (Standard Care) in Children With Leukemia Receiving Intensive Chemotherapy
HONEY for the Treatment of POst-Tonsillectomy Pain - a Double-blind, Randomised, Placebo Controlled, Single Site Trial
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.
- Expert consensus on the prevention and treatment of radiochemotherapy-induced oral mucositis.International journal of oral science · 2025Guideline
- Pooled it
- Summary of the best evidence for nutritional support programs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients undergoing radiotherapy.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Clinical applicability of natural products for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical oral investigations · 2021Pooled it
- A systematic review of interventions to mitigate radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Pooled it
- Systematic review of natural and miscellaneous agents, for the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients and clinical practice guidelines - part 2: honey, herbal compounds, saliva stimulants, probiotics, and miscellaneous agents.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- The effectiveness of mouthwashes in alleviating radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients: a systematic review.Oral radiology · 2019Pooled it
- Prophylactic and therapeutic effects of honey on radiochemotherapy-induced mucositis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review of natural agents 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
- Honey in Alleviating Severe Oral Mucositis Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy.In vivo (Athens, Greece)Pooled it
- The effect of an oral care protocol and honey mouthwash on mucositis in acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy: a single-blind clinical trial.Clinical oral investigations · 2019Trial
- "Coffee plus honey" versus "topical steroid" in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis: a randomised controlled trial.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2014Trial
- Evidence-based supportive care for patients undergoing radiotherapy: Recommendations from the updated German national S3 guideline for oncological patients.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026Article
- The potential of bee products in clinical trials focused on the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy used for cancer treatment.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Review
- Honey and cancer: from traditional medicine to modern adjuvant therapy.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Evolution of radiation-induced dermatitis treatment.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2024Review
- Geographical Origin Authentication-A Mandatory Step in the Efficient Involvement of Honey in Medical Treatment.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Assessment of thyme honey oral gel for the prevention of adriamycin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in patients with breast cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Article
- A Comprehensive Review of the Effect of Honey on Human Health.Nutrients · 2023Review
- The Effect of Selected Bee Products on Adhesion and Biofilm ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFew treatments have the potential to reduce the severity of radiation-induced mucositis in head and neck cancer patients. Some small studies have suggested that organic honey may be a useful preventive treatment.
methodsThis investigator-initiated double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial investigated whether honey reduced the severity of radiation-induced oral mucositis (ROM). One hundred six head and neck cancer patients from the Vancouver and Sudbury Cancer Centers in Canada were randomized to swish, hold, and swallow either 5 ml of irradiated organic manuka honey or a placebo gel, four times a day throughout radiation treatment, plus seven more days. Severity of oral mucositis according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), World Health Organization (WHO), and Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale scales, weight, and subjects' symptom severity and quality of life were assessed weekly. Sialometry was performed at baseline and at the last study visit.
resultsOne hundred six patients were recruited. Twenty-four did not attend any mucositis assessments. One was removed from the study because of off-study consumption of store-bought manuka honey. The remaining 81 patients had at least one mucositis assessment and were included in the analysis. Sixty-two percent of subjects received concurrent chemotherapy; 81 % were male. The groups were well-matched, and blinding was excellent. Dropouts were mostly due to nausea and were similar in both arms, with 78 % being able to tolerate the study products for more than 1 week. The dropout rate was 57 % in those who received honey and 52 % in those who received placebo gel. The dropout rate in those who had concurrent chemotherapy was 59 % and in those who only received radiation was 47 %. There was no statistically significant difference between the honey and placebo arms in any of the outcome indicators. Those who completed the study in both treatment arms had low rates of RTOG greater than or equal to grade 3 mucositis; 35 % in the honey group and 43 % in the placebo group.
conclusionDespite promising earlier reports, manuka honey was not tolerated well by our patients and, even when used as directed, did not have a significant impact on the severity of ROM.
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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.