Palifermin, administered for three doses only, reduces mucositis in patients undergoing HSCT and receiving chemoradiotherapy conditioning

Oral mucositis, a common complication of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, presents with varying severity of erythematous and ulcerative lesions. Myeloablative chemotherapy and radiation-based conditioning with autologous and allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (auHSCT, aHSCT) are established treatments for haematological malignancies. In these settings, the incidence of severe oral mucositis, defined as World Health Organization (WHO) grade 3 and 4 (G3/4), is reported at 80–100%, with a significant cost burden to health systems. It is described as a feared and incapacitating complication for patients, resulting in pain and difficulty eating, often requiring parenteral opioid analgesia (POA) and parenteral nutrition (PN).