Oral complications in children with cancer.

Oral complications during cancer therapy are a common source of discomfort and a potential source of systemic infection. We report the results of a 2 1/2-year prospective follow-up study on the incidence of oral complications in 214 pediatric patients with cancer. Overall, the incidence of ulcers in these patients ranked highest followed by gingivitis. Children with sarcomas had more ulcers (p = 0.03) and Candida infections (p = 0.03) than those with leukemia. The rate of gingivitis among patients with leukemia was five times higher than in patients with sarcoma (p = 0.02). Candida infections in children with solid tumors occurred four times more often than in patients with leukemia (p = 0.02). This study shows that oral complications are a frequent cause of morbidity in children with cancers and are more common in some cancers than in others. Oral complications may be prevented or diminished in severity by identifying the risk groups and developing preventive and treatment strategies.