Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (ALTENS) or Pilocarpine in Treating Early Dry Mouth in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of head and neck cancer

  * No clinical evidence of disease recurrence by ear, nose, and throat exam with a nasopharyngeal scope, if indicated, 8 weeks prior to registration
* Completed radiotherapy (i.e., standard or intensity-modulated radiotherapy) with or without chemotherapy ≥ 3 months and up to 2 years prior to study entry

  * Grade 1-2 radiotherapy-induced xerostomia according to the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Effects (CTCAE) v.3.0 and the dry mouth/salivary gland xerostomia scale
  * Must have evidence of residual salivary function with unstimulated (basal) whole salivary production ≥ 0.1 ml/min after having refrained from eating or drinking oral fluid for 2 hours
* No patients with normal saliva production (i.e., no salivary gland changes or no xerostomia)
* No history of serious adverse events after prior treatment with and discontinuation of pilocarpine
* No chronic lymphocytic leukemia

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Zubrod performance status of 0-2
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No other invasive malignancy except non-melanomatous skin cancer or cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for at least 3 years (e.g., carcinoma in situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix)
* No concurrent contraindications to pilocarpine (e.g., uncontrolled asthma, miosis, or hypersensitivity)
* No severe, active co-morbidity, including any of the following:

  * Unstable cardiac disease or requirement for a pacemaker in-situ
  * Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within the past 6 months
  * Transmural myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
  * Acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics at the time of registration
  * Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy within 30 days prior to registration
  * Hepatic insufficiency resulting in clinical jaundice and/or coagulation defects
* No Sjögren syndrome

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 2 weeks since prior pilocarpine or cevimeline and no concurrent use for ophthalmic or non-ophthalmic indications
* No concurrent regular medications that induce xerostomia (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, antihistamines with anticholinergic effects, or narcotics)
* No concurrent oral stimulating agents or salivary gland medical stimulants