ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Head and Neck Cancer
A Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of Orally Administered Yeast-Derived β-Glucan for Alleviating Chemoradiotherapy-Induced Oral Mucositis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients
Provisionally accepted
Xiwei XuFang LiFanglin XieFeixia ZhuoXiaomin XieQingfeng YangRenwei JiangJinman ChenSiyang WangYuanling LuoLingling Yu
Zongping Han*- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
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Background: Patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy frequently experience severe oral mucositis, with incidence rates ranging from 78.6%-88%. This adverse effect often disrupts therapeutic adherence and negatively impacts nutritional intake. This Phase II trial evaluated oral yeast-derived β-glucan (PGG) for alleviating mucositis and improving nutrition in NPC patients. Methods: Sixty-three stage III-IVa NPC patients receiving radical radiotherapy (70 Gy/33F) with concurrent cisplatin were randomized to PGG supplementation (Experimental group, 5 g/10kg/day, n=30) plus routine care or routine care alone (Control group, n=30). Mucositis severity (RTOG criteria), nutritional parameters (PG-SGA, body composition), and hematological indices were assessed weekly. Results: The experimental Group showed significantly reduced mucositis severity: 70% achieved grade 0-I (vs. 36.7% controls; U=266.000, p=0.004), with grade III incidence at 6.67% (vs. 26.67%). Nutritional outcomes improved in the experimental Group, evidenced by lower PG-SGA scores at week 4 (10.93±2.60 vs. 12.37±2.39, p=0.03), attenuated weight loss during weeks 3-4 (p<0.05), and increased body fat percentage (p<0.05). No intergroup differences occurred in pain scores, muscle mass, or hematological parameters (leukocytes, hemoglobin, platelets, lymphocyte subsets). Conclusion: Oral PGG significantly reduces severe mucositis incidence and mitigates nutritional deterioration during NPC chemoradiotherapy without added toxicity.
Keywords: Chemoradiotherapy, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Nutritional Status, Oral Mucositis, randomized controlled trial, Supportive Care, yeast-derived β-Glucan
Received: 25 Dec 2025; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Xu, Li, Xie, Zhuo, Xie, Yang, Jiang, Chen, Wang, Luo, Yu and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zongping Han
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