Nose ointment may ease Radiation's brutal mouth pain

This study tests whether a common antibiotic ointment applied inside the nose can reduce severe mouth and throat pain caused by radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients. About 126 participants will receive either the antibiotic or a placebo, and neither they nor their doctors will know which. The goal is to see if clearing a common nasal bacteria (Staph) can prevent worsening of radiation-induced mouth sores and pain.