Future Medicine, Future Oncology, 11(9), p. 1727-1732, 2013
DOI: 10.2217/fon.13.164
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Aim: We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SAMITAL® (Indena SpA, Milan, Italy), a highly standardized botanical formulation, in reducing mucositis in patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies. Patients & methods: In this observational, uncontrolled study, a total of 25 consecutively enrolled patients (19 males, aged 18–74 years) with chemotherapy-induced mucositis were compassionately treated orally with SAMITAL (three to four times per day) for 4–22 days per cycle. Results: Patients demonstrated clinically relevant reductions in WHO mucositis grade with a reduction in pain, mucosal erosions, bleeding, dysphagia/feeding impairment and improvements in quality of life. SAMITAL was well tolerated and no local or systemic pharmacological, allergic, toxic or synergistic/antagonistic side effects were reported. Of note, SAMITAL also showed efficacy when administered prophylactically. Conclusion: These results add weight to previous experiences with SAMITAL. However, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials will need to confirm the suitability of SAMITAL for use in the treatment of mucositis.