Title:Probiotics, as Adjuvant Therapy and Preventive Measure on Progression,
and Complications of Head and Neck Cancer
Volume: 24
Issue: 12
Author(s): Carlos Enrique Galeana-Patiño, Mario Isidoro Ortiz, Raquel Cariño-Cortés, Iris Cristina López-Santillán, Javier Castro-Rosas, Carlos Alberto Gómez-Aldapa and Víctor Manuel Muñoz-Pérez*
Affiliation:
- Departamento de Farmacología, Área Académica de Medicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad
Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Doctores Pachuca, C.P. 42090, Hidalgo, México
Keywords:
Probiotics, head, neck squamous cell carcinoma, microbiome, dysbiosis, mucositis, oral cancer.
Abstract:
Background: Preclinical and clinical evidence implies that destructive therapies in local
and malignant tissue are frequently used on patients with head and neck cancer. Consequently, the
microbiome of the treated and adjacent regions is affected. Disruption of the normal microbiome
plays an important role not only in the disease progression but also in its emergence, therefore new
therapies involving probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been developed to control or regulate
this microbial disruption.
Objective: This review aims to describe the current and potential uses of probiotics at different
stages of development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, as an adjuvant therapy to prevent
common complications such as radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) and its role in other
areas.
Methods: Currently, there is no widely effective strategy to treat or prevent this kind of cancer.
Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are the three main treatments for head and neck
cancer. Some therapies can also cause long-term health problems, or complications which might
change the way you eat, talk, hear and breathe.
Results: The main uses for which probiotics have been studied are: Prevention and reduction of
severity of RIOM, change in dental plaque to reduce dysbiosis, and reduction of complications in
post-operated patients. Potential uses of probiotics include the reduction of disease initiation and
progression by reducing local inflammation caused by bacteria and other organisms.
Conclusion: The incidence and severity of RIOM may be lessened by probiotics. To establish its
uses in additional clinical settings, though, more studies are necessary.
