Dr. Giralt on Mucoadhesive Clonidine in Head and Neck Cancer

Jordi Giralt, MD, PhD, pathology, radiology, oncology, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, discusses a study that examined mucoadhesive clonidine (Clonidine Lauriad) in the prevention of severe radiomucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.

Oral mucositis is a frequent side effect of chemoradiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. The randomized phase II study examined the efficacy of mucoadhesive clonidine against oral mucositis. Mucoadhesive clonidine has demonstrated anti-inflammatory efficacy in earlier studies, Giralt explains.

The double-blind study compared arms of mucoadhesive clonidine at 50μg, 100 μg, and placebo. The primary endpoint was the incidence of oral mucositis, Giralt says. Data showed that mucoadhesive clonidine reduced the incidence of oral mucositis by 20%.