Trial reportMayo Clinic proceedings2019
N-Acetylcysteine Rinse for Thick Secretion and Mucositis of Head and Neck Chemoradiotherapy (Alliance MC13C2): A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.
Trial report in Mayo Clinic proceedings, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02123511 (A Randomized, Double-Blind Pilot Study of N-Acetylcysteine Mucoadherent Rinse Versus Placebo for Thickened Secretions and Mucositis Secondary to Chemoradiotherapy in the Management of Head and Neck Malignancies), which is not on this map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
A Randomized, Double-Blind Pilot Study of N-Acetylcysteine Mucoadherent Rinse Versus Placebo for Thickened Secretions and Mucositis Secondary to Chemoradiotherapy in the Management of Head and Neck Malignancies
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of salivary gland hypofunction and/or xerostomia induced by non-surgical cancer therapies: prevention strategies.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- N-acetylcysteine mouthwash for prevention of oral mucositis in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- N-acetylcysteine nano-spray versus conventional treatment in the management of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in oral cancer patients: a randomized clinical trial.BMC oral health · 2026Trial
- Effects of topically applied liquid N-acetylcysteine for the management of burning mouth syndrome.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Radiomitigators: Breakthroughs in Post-Radiation Recovery.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Oral dryness related symptoms in radiation-treated head and neck cancer patients: a pilot study of oral microbiome composition and function.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Interventions to Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Induced Oral Mucositis: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Acta stomatologica Croatica · 2025Article
- NMR-Based Metabolomics of Blood Serum in Predicting Response to Induction Chemotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer-A Preliminary Approach.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- GTP Signaling Links Metabolism, DNA Repair, and Responses to Genotoxic Stress.Cancer discovery · 2024Article
- Clinical efficacy of budesonide combined with acetylcysteine in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia infection.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2023Article
- Management of Oral Hygiene in Head-Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Oncological Surgery and Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review.Dentistry journal · 2023Review
- Review
- Narrative review of the management of oral mucositis during chemoradiation for head and neck cancer.Annals of translational medicine · 2021Review
- Effects of N-acetylcysteine inhalation therapy on the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer who are receiving radiation therapy: a prospective non-randomized controlled multi-center study.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2021Article
- Effect of Urban Particulate Matter on Vocal Fold Fibrosis through the MAPK/NF-κB Signaling Pathway.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether N-acetylcysteine rinse was safe and could improve thickened secretions and dry mouth during and after radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND
methodsWe designed a prospective pilot double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (Alliance MC13C2). Adult patients (age ≥18 years) were enrolled if they underwent chemoradiotherapy (≥60 Gy). Patients initiated testing rinse within 3 days of starting radiotherapy. With swish-and-spit, they received 10% N-acetylcysteine (2500 mg daily) or placebo rinse solution 5 times daily during radiotherapy and 2 weeks postradiotherapy. The primary aim was to evaluate N-acetylcysteine in improvement of saliva viscosity with the Groningen Radiotherapy-Induced Xerostomia questionnaire. Secondary aims included evaluating xerostomia improvement by the same questionnaire and with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck-35 Questions survey and adverse-event profiles. The type I error rate was 20%.
resultsThirty-two patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy were enrolled. Baseline characteristics were balanced for placebo (n=17) and N-acetylcysteine (n=15). N-acetylcysteine was better for improving sticky saliva (area under curve, P=.12). Scores of multiple secondary end points favored N-acetylcysteine, including sticky saliva daytime (P=.04), daytime and total xerostomia (both P=.02), pain (P=.18), and trouble with social eating (P=.15). Repeated measures models confirmed the findings. Taste was a major dissatisifer for N-acetylcysteine rinse; however, both testing rinses were safe and well tolerated overall.
conclusionOur pilot data showed that N-acetylcysteine rinse was safe and provided strong evidence of potential efficacy for improving thickened saliva and xerostomia by patient-reported outcome. A confirmatory phase 3 trial is required.
trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02123511.
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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.