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IMRT preserved long-term functioning in patients with head and neck cancers
Most 5-year survivors of head and neck cancer who received intensity-modulated radiation therapy were satisfied with their quality of life, suggesting reduced-intensity therapy spared long-term functioning, according to a cross-sectional analysis.
Researchers evaluated University of Washington Quality of Life scores from 50 long-term survivors of head and neck cancers. The questionnaire evaluated quality of life with regard to pain, appearance, activity, recreation, swallowing, chewing, speech, shoulder function, taste, saliva, mood and anxiety.
All patients had undergone IMRT for locally advanced disease that required bilateral neck irradiation.
Forty-two patients (84%) reported a “much better” or “somewhat better” health-related quality of life 5 years after the completion of IMRT compared with their quality of life at the time of their cancer diagnosis. Forty-one patients (82%) rated their overall quality of life as “outstanding” or “very good” at this time.
Forty patients (80%) reported having “outstanding” or “very good” levels of functioning during the 7 days prior to completion of the questionnaire.
Of all quality-of-life categories measured, salivary function received the lowest scores. Eight patients (16%) reported having “too little saliva,” whereas 42 patients (84%) said their saliva was “of normal consistency” or that they had “less saliva than normal but enough.” No patients reported having “no saliva.”
“Our long-term data add to the body of literature supporting the acceptance of IMRT as standard treatment for head and neck cancer,” the researchers concluded. “The fact that most 5-year survivors were satisfied with their quality of life points to the ability of IMRT to preserve long-term functioning. Continued long-term evaluation is imperative to confirm that the therapeutic gains associated with IMRT, especially as techniques are further refined, are maintained in the future.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.