Oral Pseudomembrane Kandidiasis in Nasopharynx Cancer - A Case Report
Abstract
Introduction. Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a malignant condition of the nasopharynx. The cancer therapy given is usually radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT), or a combination of RT and CT. Cancer therapy and poor oral hygiene can lead to susceptibility to fungal infections, one of which is pseudomembranous kandidiasis (thrush). The aim of this report was to present oral pseudomembrane kandidiasis patient with nasopharynx cancer. Case report. A 52-year-old female patient was referred to the hospital's dental clinic with complaints of a white coating on the inside of her cheeks, roof of the mouth, and tongue since ± 1 week ago. The patient feels pain when swallowing and discomfort when opening the mouth. The results of clinical and supporting examinations showed that the patient was diagnosed with oral pseudomembranous kandidiasis. The patient was treated using nystatin drop and chlorhexidine gluconate 0.2% Conclusion. The NPC patient in this case was diagnosed with pseudomembranous kandidiasis (thrush) caused by Candida albicans. Early management of cases of pseudomembranous kandidiasis in NPC patients was very important so that the lesion would not disrupt the general condition of the patient as a whole. Collaboration and coordination from various specialist divisions were needed.References
1.Kementrian Kesehatan RI. Keputusan Menteri Kesehatan RI No. HK.01.07/MENKES/648/2019 tentang Pedoman Nasional Pelayanan Kedokteran Tata Laksana Kanker Nasofaring.
2.Mentari S, Imanto M, Putri G. Kualitas hidup pasien karsinoma: review naratif. Majority 2019; 8(2): 227-33
3.Little J, Miller C, Rhodus N. Little and Falace's dental management of the medically compromised patient 9th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier. 2018. p.501-13.
4.Sufiawati I, Pratiwi U, Wijaya I, Rusdiana T, Subarnas A. The relationship between Candida albicans colonization and oral hygiene in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Mater Today Proc. 2019; 16: 2122-7.
5.Regezi, Sciubba, Jordan. Oral pathology: clinical pathologic correlations 7th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier. 2017. p. 104-8.
6.Ghom A, Ghom S. Textbook of oral medicine. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd: New Delhi. 2014. p. 172-81.
7.Glick M, Greenberg M, Lockhart P, Challacombe S. Burket's Oral Medicine 13th ed. WIley Blackwell: Hoboken. 2021. p.89-91.
8.Neville, BW Allen, CM Damm, DD Chi A. Oral and maxillofacial pathology 4th ed. St.Louis; Elsevier. 2016. p.198-206
9.Sharma A. Oral candidiasis: An opportunistic infection: A review. International Journal of Applied Dental Sciences 2019; 5(1): 23-7
10.Sim CPC, Soong YL, Pang EPP, Lim C, Walker GD, Manton DJ, Reynolds JTS, Wee JTS. Xerostomia, salivary characteristics and gland volumes following intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a two-year follow up. Australian Dental Journal. 2018; 63: 217-23.
11.Larnaudie A, Marcy PY, Delaby N, Costes-Martineau V, Troussier I, Bensadoun RJ, Vergez S, Vernat SS, Thariat J. Radiotherapy of salivary gland tumours. Cancer/Radiothérapie 2022; 26 (1-2): 213-20
12.Hartanto FK, Yosvara K. Candida-related lesions dalam rongga mulut: diagnosis dan strategi penatalaksanaanya. JKTG 2023; 5(1): 232-5 DOI : 10.25105/jkgt.v5i1.17173
13.Kahn M, Hall J. The ADA Practical Guide to Soft Tissue Oral Disease 2nd ed. John Willey & Sons: Hoboken. 2018. p.37-46.
14.Vila T, Sultan AS, Montelongo-Jauregui D, Jabra-Rizk MA. Oral Candidiasis: A Disease of Opportunity. J. Fungi 2020; 6: 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof6010015
15.Rashak SJ, Alsaadoon AH, Thamer SJ. Case report of oral candidiasis in iron deficiency anemia patients from Basrah, Iraq. Basrah J Sci. 2019; 37(1): 62- 72. Doi 10.29072/basjs.20190105
16.Paillaud E, Merlier I, Dupeyron C, Scherman E, Poupon J, Bories PN. Oral candidiasis and nutritional deficiencies in elderly hospitalised patients. Br J Nutr. 2004; 92(5): 861-7. doi: 10.1079/bjn20041264.
17.Raj G, Raj M. Oral Lichen Planus. [Updated 2023 Feb 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578201/
18.Sari EM, Drakel FF, Setiadhi R. Oral leukoplakia, the first clinical finding of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC): A Case report. Dentino 2022; 2(2): 128-32
19.Lyu, X. Zhao, C. Yan, Z. Hua, H. Efficacy of nystatin for the treatment of oral kandidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2016: doi: 10: 1161-71.
20.Rai A, Misra SR, Panda S, Sokolowski G, Mishra L, Das R, Lapinska B. Nystatin effectiveness in oral candidiasis treatment: A systematic review & meta-analysis of clinical trials. Life (Basel). 2022; 12(11):1 677. doi: 10.3390/life12111677.
21.Mozayeni MA, Hadian A, Bakhshaei P, Dianat O. Comparison of antifungal activity of 2% chlorhexidine, calcium hydroxide, and nanosilver gels against Candida Albicans. J Dent (Tehran). 2015; 12(2): 109-17.
Chavarría-Bolaños D, Esparza-Villalpando V, Ramírez K. Antibacterial and antifungal capacity of three commercially available mouthwashes with different concentrations of chlorhexidine. Odovtos 2022; 24( 2 ): 69-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/ijds.2021.48079
2.Mentari S, Imanto M, Putri G. Kualitas hidup pasien karsinoma: review naratif. Majority 2019; 8(2): 227-33
3.Little J, Miller C, Rhodus N. Little and Falace's dental management of the medically compromised patient 9th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier. 2018. p.501-13.
4.Sufiawati I, Pratiwi U, Wijaya I, Rusdiana T, Subarnas A. The relationship between Candida albicans colonization and oral hygiene in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Mater Today Proc. 2019; 16: 2122-7.
5.Regezi, Sciubba, Jordan. Oral pathology: clinical pathologic correlations 7th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier. 2017. p. 104-8.
6.Ghom A, Ghom S. Textbook of oral medicine. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd: New Delhi. 2014. p. 172-81.
7.Glick M, Greenberg M, Lockhart P, Challacombe S. Burket's Oral Medicine 13th ed. WIley Blackwell: Hoboken. 2021. p.89-91.
8.Neville, BW Allen, CM Damm, DD Chi A. Oral and maxillofacial pathology 4th ed. St.Louis; Elsevier. 2016. p.198-206
9.Sharma A. Oral candidiasis: An opportunistic infection: A review. International Journal of Applied Dental Sciences 2019; 5(1): 23-7
10.Sim CPC, Soong YL, Pang EPP, Lim C, Walker GD, Manton DJ, Reynolds JTS, Wee JTS. Xerostomia, salivary characteristics and gland volumes following intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a two-year follow up. Australian Dental Journal. 2018; 63: 217-23.
11.Larnaudie A, Marcy PY, Delaby N, Costes-Martineau V, Troussier I, Bensadoun RJ, Vergez S, Vernat SS, Thariat J. Radiotherapy of salivary gland tumours. Cancer/Radiothérapie 2022; 26 (1-2): 213-20
12.Hartanto FK, Yosvara K. Candida-related lesions dalam rongga mulut: diagnosis dan strategi penatalaksanaanya. JKTG 2023; 5(1): 232-5 DOI : 10.25105/jkgt.v5i1.17173
13.Kahn M, Hall J. The ADA Practical Guide to Soft Tissue Oral Disease 2nd ed. John Willey & Sons: Hoboken. 2018. p.37-46.
14.Vila T, Sultan AS, Montelongo-Jauregui D, Jabra-Rizk MA. Oral Candidiasis: A Disease of Opportunity. J. Fungi 2020; 6: 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof6010015
15.Rashak SJ, Alsaadoon AH, Thamer SJ. Case report of oral candidiasis in iron deficiency anemia patients from Basrah, Iraq. Basrah J Sci. 2019; 37(1): 62- 72. Doi 10.29072/basjs.20190105
16.Paillaud E, Merlier I, Dupeyron C, Scherman E, Poupon J, Bories PN. Oral candidiasis and nutritional deficiencies in elderly hospitalised patients. Br J Nutr. 2004; 92(5): 861-7. doi: 10.1079/bjn20041264.
17.Raj G, Raj M. Oral Lichen Planus. [Updated 2023 Feb 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578201/
18.Sari EM, Drakel FF, Setiadhi R. Oral leukoplakia, the first clinical finding of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC): A Case report. Dentino 2022; 2(2): 128-32
19.Lyu, X. Zhao, C. Yan, Z. Hua, H. Efficacy of nystatin for the treatment of oral kandidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2016: doi: 10: 1161-71.
20.Rai A, Misra SR, Panda S, Sokolowski G, Mishra L, Das R, Lapinska B. Nystatin effectiveness in oral candidiasis treatment: A systematic review & meta-analysis of clinical trials. Life (Basel). 2022; 12(11):1 677. doi: 10.3390/life12111677.
21.Mozayeni MA, Hadian A, Bakhshaei P, Dianat O. Comparison of antifungal activity of 2% chlorhexidine, calcium hydroxide, and nanosilver gels against Candida Albicans. J Dent (Tehran). 2015; 12(2): 109-17.
Chavarría-Bolaños D, Esparza-Villalpando V, Ramírez K. Antibacterial and antifungal capacity of three commercially available mouthwashes with different concentrations of chlorhexidine. Odovtos 2022; 24( 2 ): 69-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/ijds.2021.48079
Published
2025-05-03
How to Cite
DEWI, Siti Rusdiana Puspa; MAULINA, Shania Tri.
Oral Pseudomembrane Kandidiasis in Nasopharynx Cancer - A Case Report.
Journal of Indonesian Dental Association, [S.l.], v. 8, n. 1, p. 40-44, may 2025.
ISSN 2621-6175.
Available at: <http://jurnal.pdgi.or.id/index.php/jida/article/view/1222>. Date accessed: 09 may 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.32793/jida.v8i1.1222.
Issue
Section
Case Report

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.