Photobiomodulation for the treatment and prevention of chemotherapy- and/or radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials published in the last six years.
To systematically evaluate and update the evidence about photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) as a therapy for the prevention and/or treatment of oral mucositis (OM) induced by antineoplastic therapies.
This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase as the primary databases. Additional searches were performed in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and LILACS through the BIREME platform, as well as in Redalyc and the Wiley Online Library, covering the period from 2020 to 2026. Only randomized clinical trials published within the last six years investigating PBMT as a preventive or therapeutic intervention for oral mucositis (OM) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were included.
Seven studies comprising 329 patients were included. PBMT proved to be highly effective in the management of OM (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.73). Moderate heterogeneity was observed across studies (I2 = 40%). PBMT protocols varied, with laser wavelengths ranging from 635 to 980 nm, most commonly 660 nm for intraoral (IO) application. Application sites included IO and/or extraoral (EO) approaches, with IO application times ranging from 3 to 20 s. OM was consistently assessed using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria across all studies. The included trials demonstrated a low risk of bias and publication bias.
Evidence from recent randomized clinical trials confirms that PBMT is highly effective for the management of oral mucositis, reducing its incidence and severity, improving quality of life and treatment adherence, and potentially lowering healthcare costs during cancer therapy.
This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase as the primary databases. Additional searches were performed in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and LILACS through the BIREME platform, as well as in Redalyc and the Wiley Online Library, covering the period from 2020 to 2026. Only randomized clinical trials published within the last six years investigating PBMT as a preventive or therapeutic intervention for oral mucositis (OM) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were included.
Seven studies comprising 329 patients were included. PBMT proved to be highly effective in the management of OM (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.73). Moderate heterogeneity was observed across studies (I2 = 40%). PBMT protocols varied, with laser wavelengths ranging from 635 to 980 nm, most commonly 660 nm for intraoral (IO) application. Application sites included IO and/or extraoral (EO) approaches, with IO application times ranging from 3 to 20 s. OM was consistently assessed using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria across all studies. The included trials demonstrated a low risk of bias and publication bias.
Evidence from recent randomized clinical trials confirms that PBMT is highly effective for the management of oral mucositis, reducing its incidence and severity, improving quality of life and treatment adherence, and potentially lowering healthcare costs during cancer therapy.