Prevention of Oral Mucositis in Adults in With Hematologic Malignancy

September 3, 2026 updated by: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Impact of Aloe Vera Mouthwash on the Prevention and Severity of Oral Mucositis in Adults in With Hematologic Malignancies

The goal of this quasiexperimental cohort controlled intervention study is to learn if aloe vera mouthwash works better than usual care in the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis. Researchers will compare aloe vera to usual care. Participants in the intervention group will rinse their mouths with aloe vera 4 x/day for 28 days of their treatment. They will also complete questionnaires about oral health and mucositis.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Oral mucositis (OM) is a common and debilitating complication of chemotherapy and radiotherapy among adults with acute leukemia, leading to pain, infection risk, treatment delays, and reduced quality of life. This multi-site, cohort controlled quasi-experimental study will evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led aloe vera mouthwash intervention compared with usual oral care in preventing and reducing the incidence and severity of OM among hospitalized oncology patients. Primary outcomes include OM incidence and severity measured by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), with secondary outcomes of pain, quality of life, and overall health assessed weekly using the Oral Mucositis Weekly Questionnaire (OMWQ).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

206

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States, 60453
        • Advocate Christ Medical Center
        • Contact:
      • Park Ridge, Illinois, United States, 60068
        • Advocate Lutheran General
        • Contact:
    • Wisconsin
      • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53215
        • Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Medical diagnosis of acute leukemia and receiving high or low intensity chemotherapy
  • English speaking/reading (without an interpreter)
  • Access to a personal email address to support study participation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with preexisting mucositis.
  • Allergy to Aloe Vera
  • Transplant patients
  • Cognitively impaired or have a psychiatric condition that would prevent ability to provide informed consent
  • Pregnant women
  • Patients with an active eating disorder
  • Patients receiving end of life/hospice care

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Phase 1 Usual Care
Participants in the usual care phase will receive standard of care
Other: Standard of Care
Toothbrushing with a soft or ultra-soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste a minimum of twice a day, oral rinsing with water or 0.9% sodium chloride four times daily, and denture care as applicable.
Experimental: Phase 2 Intervention
Participants in the intervention phase will receive aloe vera
Dietary supplement: Aloe Vera Mouthwash
In addition to standard of care, phase 2 participants will receive the aloe vera mouthwash available for order through supply chain services. Health system pharmacy has approved this as a nonmedication and safe for administration with this patient population and other medications. Each participant will have their own bottle and be instructed to swish and spit 15ml (0.5 ounces) of mouthwash following usual oral care prior to meals and at bedtime (four times per day). Nursing staff assess the participants' oral cavity at least twice a day for mucosal integrity, pain, bleeding, or ulceration. While participants are inpatient, the routine oral assessments and administration of the aloe vera will be tracked via documentation in the electronic health record. If participants are discharged prior to 28 days, oral assessments and aloe vera use will be tracked via self-report by participants on the weekly questionnaire.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of Oral Mucositis
Time Frame: Day 28
Number of participants that develop oral mucositis.
Day 28

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participants with Worsening Grade of Mucositis
Time Frame: Day 28
Number of participants with worsening grade of mucositis.
Day 28
Participants with Improving Grade of Mucositis
Time Frame: Day 28
Number of participants with improving grade of mucositis.
Day 28

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Oral Mucositis Weekly Questionnaire Score
Time Frame: Baseline and every 7 days for 28 days
The Oral Mucositis Weekly Questionnaire is a patient-reported outcome instrument developed to measure oral mucositis impact on patients' daily life. The questionnaire includes 12 items that are individually assessed including: Global health and Quality of life with 2 items rated on 1-7 scale (higher score better); Mouth and throat soreness when present is measured with 7 items on 0-4 scale and 1 overall measure on 0-10 scale; mouth pain and throat pain are also each measured using 0-10 scale (lower scores better)
Baseline and every 7 days for 28 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Tara Albrecht, PhD, ACNP-BC, ACHPN, RN, Advocate Health

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 3, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB00155690

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

To protect participants identity, we are not able to share individual participant data

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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