What do systematic reviews say?

Venalot Depot (coumarin plus troxerutin) vs placebo

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Sialometric data dropped to an unmeasurable level in both groups; abandoned as a marker of efficacy (Grotz 2001)
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Amifostine vs no treatment/placebo

Amifostine may leads to higher hypotension (adverse effect) compared with no treatment/placebo (low certainty).

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  RR 9.20 [2.84, 29.83]
  3 studies · 376 participants
  Low

Biperiden plus pilocarpine vs no treatment

Biperiden plus pilocarpine showed no clear difference in dysphagia (WHO grade 3+) compared with no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months postRT
  RR 0.25 [0.03, 2.11]
  1 study · 60 participants
  GRADE not reported

Amifostine vs no treatment/placebo

It is very uncertain whether amifostine changes quality of life (Patient Benefit Questionnaire, 10-point scale) compared with no treatment/placebo (very low certainty).

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months postRT
  MD 0.70 [0.20, 1.20]
  1 study · 180 participants
  Very low

Biperiden plus pilocarpine vs no treatment

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  End of RT
  Insufficient evidence, from a single trial of 60 participants, to determine the effect on unstimulated salivary flow rate at the end of RT (Rode 1999; Analysis 2.1)
  1 study · 60 participants
  GRADE not reported

Bethanechol vs Artificial saliva

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No data on either quality of life or other oral related symptoms were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Selenium vs no intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No data on salivary flow rates were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Biperiden plus pilocarpine vs no treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No xerostomia data related to the effectiveness of biperiden and pilocarpine were reported (Rode 1999).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Antimicrobial lozenge vs placebo

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No data on salivary flow rates were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Minimally invasive surgery vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma 2016 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Dietary modifications (counselling or dietary change) vs no nutritional intervention

Dietary modification probably leads to lower diarrhoea at end of treatment compared with no nutritional intervention (moderate certainty).

• Nutritional interventions for reducing gastrointestinal toxicity in adults undergoing radical pelvic radiotherapy 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 0.66 [0.51, 0.87]
  4 studies · 413 participants
  Moderate

Dietary modifications (counselling or dietary change) vs no nutritional intervention

• Nutritional interventions for reducing gastrointestinal toxicity in adults undergoing radical pelvic radiotherapy 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  2 studies · 235 participants
  Moderate

Surgery vs Radiotherapy alone

• Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers: surgical treatment 2023 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse events: grade 2+ treatment-related events similar (31/34 radiotherapy vs 33/34 surgery; RR 0.94, 0.83 to 1.06); more hearing loss/neutropenia/constipation/tinnitus with radiotherapy, more oral bleeding/trismus…
  1 study · 68 participants
  Very low

Surgery vs Radiotherapy alone

Surgery showed no clear difference in total mortality compared with radiotherapy alone (low certainty).

• Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers: surgical treatment 2023 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3 years
  HR 0.83 [0.09, 7.46]
  1 study · 68 participants
  Low