SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025
A systematic review of salivary gland hypofunction and/or xerostomia induced by non-surgical cancer therapies: prevention strategies.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 11 papers.
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
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Pulmonary infections in an acute palliative care unit.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Observational
- Oral microbiota associated with radiation-related caries among nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients following radiation therapy: analysis based on a longitudinal study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Preclinical evidence of photobiomodulation and clarified açaí in submandibular gland protection during antineoplastic therapy: an experimental study.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Photobiomodulation Therapy for Orofacial Conditions in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Dentistry journal · 2026Review
- Radiation-induced oral side effects in head and neck cancer: a scoping review and interdisciplinary recommendations.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Ameliorative effects of melatonin on radiotherapy-induced apoptotic and inflammatory responses in rat parotid gland.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Late Toxicity and Long-Term Quality of Life in Survivors of Cancer of the Major Salivary Glands More Than 5 Years After Diagnosis: A Multi-National Study.Head & neck · 2026Article
- Effects of Clarified Açaí Supplementation and Photobiomodulation on the Parotid Glands of Rats Submitted to Chemotherapy.Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology · 2026Article
- Research progress on carcinogenic factors and personalized treatment of oral cancer.Discover oncology · 2025Review
- Photobiomodulation therapy for salivary gland hypofunction: a preliminary human study.Lasers in medical science · 2025Article
- The Effect of Vitamin E, Β-Carotene, and Acidophilus Probiotics on The Salivary Gland Flow Rate in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Rats: An in-vivo Study.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
21 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis systematic review aimed to assess the updated literature for the prevention of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia induced by non-surgical cancer therapies.
methodsElectronic databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) that investigated interventions to prevent salivary gland hypofunction and/or xerostomia. Literature search began from the 2010 systematic review publications from the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) up to February 2024. Two independent reviewers extracted information regarding study design, study population, cancer treatment modality, interventions, outcome measures, methods, results, risk of bias (RoB version 2), and conclusions for each article.
resultsA total of 51 publications addressing preventive interventions were included. Eight RCTs on tissue-sparing radiation modalities were included showing significant lower prevalence of xerostomia, with unclear effect on salivary gland hypofunction. Three RCTs on preventive acupuncture showed reduced prevalence of xerostomia but not of salivary gland hypofunction. Two RCTs on muscarinic agonist stimulation with bethanechol suggested a preventive effect on saliva flow rate and xerostomia in patients undergoing head and neck radiation or radioactive iodine therapy. Two studies on submandibular gland transfer showed higher salivary flow rates compared to pilocarpine and lower prevalence of xerostomia compared to no active intervention. There is insufficient evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin E, amifostine, photobiomodulation, and miscellaneous preventive interventions.
conclusionThis systematic review continues to support the potential of tissue-sparing tecniques and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to preserve salivary gland function in patients with head and neck cancer, with limited evidence on other preventive strategies, including acupuncture and bethanecol. Preventive focus should be on optimized and new approaches developed to further reduce radiation dose to the parotid, the submandibular, and minor salivary glands. As these glands are major contributors to moistening of the oral cavity, limiting the radiation dose to the salivary glands through various modalities has demonstrated reduction in prevalence and severity of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia. There remains no evidence on preventive approaches for checkpoint inhibitors and other biologicals due to the lack of RCTs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.