Cancer patients can now take once daily medication for infections

For patients suffering from head and neck cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy can now take once a day medication to fight oropharyngeal candidiasis.

Oropharyngeal candidiasis is a fungal infection in the mouth caused by the yeast Candida. This condition is also called thrush. The symptoms of the disease are the formation of white plaques coating the mouth, which when removed leaves a bleeding surface. This is a common infection that plagues cancer patients during the continuation of the radiation therapy.

The current treatment for these patients is application of gels that need to be applied four times daily and may cause disruption in patients’ lives and cause them to miss their radiation appointments. Also this treatment takes a long time in healing the candidiasis.

In the new treatment procedure, patients only have to take one pill of 50mg of miconazole daily. Of the 141 patients who took the tablet form had the same effectiveness of the gel application, containing125mg of miconazole applied four times daily, that was given to other 141 patients in the similar conditions.

The new treatment is expected to improve the quality of life for the cancer survivors and give them a better health.