Khadija Muhamed Ahmed, Nazar Talabani and Tagreed Altaei
Oral mucositis is a common complication of intensive cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Olive leaf extract
was investigated through microbiological, experimental animal studies and clinical trial. The results were compared
with the action of benzydamine HCl as positive control and normal saline as negative control.
Thirty patients under intensive chemotherapeutic treatment were included in the microbiological part of the
study for assessment of the oral flora changes, and the antimicrobial activity of olive leaf and benzydamine HCl
against preisolated microoganisms were studied. Oral mucositis was induced through a combination of systemic
administration of 5-fluorouracil as chemotherapeutic agent and mild abrasion of the left buccal mucosa of Forty-five
male albino rats. An evaluation of the healed buccal mucosa was performed histologically under light microscope
at days 7, 9 and 14 of the experiments. In the clinical part of the study, 62 cancer patients receiving intensive
chemotherapy were randomized to receive olive leaf extract, benzydamine HCl or placebo local treatment for two
weeks in a three period crossover design. WHO toxicity grading and OMAS mucositis score were applied at days 1,
8 and 15 of each cycle.
In Conclusion; olive leaf extract was effective in reducing the incidence and decreasing the severity of oral
mucositis when compared to benzydamine HCl and placebo groups. Accordingly we suggest using this medication
for oral mucositis as a safe (herbal) and effective treatment modality