l-lysine in treating oral mucositis in patients undergoing radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for head and neck cancer

Conditions: Mucositis; Oral Complications of Chemotherapy; Oral Complications of Radiation Therapy; Recurrent Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Recurrent Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Lip; Recurrent Lymphoepithelioma of the Nasopharynx; Recurrent Lymphoepithelioma of the Oropharynx; Recurrent Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Recurrent Salivary Gland Cancer; Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx; Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx; Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip and Oral Cavity; Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx; Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx; Recurrent Verrucous Carcinoma of the Larynx; Recurrent Verrucous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage I Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage I Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Lip; Stage I Lymphoepithelioma of the Nasopharynx; Stage I Lymphoepithelioma of the Oropharynx; Stage I Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage I Salivary Gland Cancer; Stage I Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx; Stage I Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage I Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip and Oral Cavity; Stage I Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx; Stage I Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx; Stage I Verrucous Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage I Verrucous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage II Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage II Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Lip; Stage II Lymphoepithelioma of the Nasopharynx; Stage II Lymphoepithelioma of the Oropharynx; Stage II Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage II Salivary Gland Cancer; Stage II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx; Stage II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip and Oral Cavity; Stage II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx; Stage II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx; Stage II Verrucous Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage II Verrucous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage III Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage III Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Lip; Stage III Lymphoepithelioma of the Nasopharynx; Stage III Lymphoepithelioma of the Oropharynx; Stage III Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage III Salivary Gland Cancer; Stage III Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx; Stage III Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage III Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip and Oral Cavity; Stage III Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx; Stage III Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx; Stage III Verrucous Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage III Verrucous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage IV Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage IV Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Lip; Stage IV Lymphoepithelioma of the Nasopharynx; Stage IV Lymphoepithelioma of the Oropharynx; Stage IV Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Stage IV Salivary Gland Cancer; Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx; Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip and Oral Cavity; Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx; Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx; Stage IV Verrucous Carcinoma of the Larynx; Stage IV Verrucous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity

Summary: this pilot clinical trial studies l-lysine in treating oral mucositis in patients undergoing radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. l-lysine may lessen the severity of oral mucositis, or mouth sores in patients receiving radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for head and neck cancer

primary objectives: i. to determine the complete response rate, decrease in severity, and time to complete response of oral mucositis related to head and neck cancer irradiation and chemotherapy after using l-lysine supplementation daily. secondary objectives: i. to determine the functional impact of use of l-lysine for oral mucositis on daily life as measured by the functional life index-cancer (flic) questionnaire total score. outline: patients receive l-lysine orally (po) once daily (qd) until completion of radiotherapy and resolution of mucositis in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. after completion of study treatment, patients are followed up weekly until mucositis resolves.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * cytologically or pathologically proven cancer of the oropharynx, lip, oral cavity, larynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and salivary glands * predicted life expectancy greater than 12 weeks * eastern cooperative oncology group (ecog) performance status 0-2 * renal function with a calculated creatinine clearance of 55 ml/min or greater, per cockcroft-gault formula * patients undergoing radiation therapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy * ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document exclusion criteria * use of illicit drugs, alcohol abuse, or tobacco abuse during treatment * subjects may not be receiving other investigational agents * inability or unwillingness to comply with radiation therapy and chemotherapy regimens * inability or unwillingness to take daily l-lysine supplementation as prescribed * use of arginine supplementation * history of renal failure or compromise