Oral complications at 6 months after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
Oral Dis
; 23(8): 1134-1143, 2017 Nov.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28675770
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To examine oral complications 6 months after modern radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC).METHODS:
Prospective multicenter cohort study of patients with HNC receiving intensity-modulated radiation therapy or more advanced RT. Stimulated whole salivary flow, maximal mouth opening, oral mucositis, oral pain, oral health-related quality of life (OH-QOL), and oral hygiene practices were measured in 372 subjects pre-RT and 216 subjects at 6 months from the start of RT.RESULTS:
Mean stimulated whole salivary flow declined from 1.09 to 0.47 ml/min at 6 months (p < .0001). Mean maximal mouth opening reduced from 45.58 to 42.53 mm at 6 months (p < .0001). 8.1% of subjects had some oral mucositis at 6 months, including 3.8% with oral ulceration. Mean overall pain score was unchanged. OH-QOL was reduced at 6 months, with changes related to dry mouth, sticky saliva, swallowing solid foods, and sense of taste (p ≤ .0001). At 6 months, there was greater frequency of using dental floss and greater proportion using supplemental fluoride (p < .0001).CONCLUSIONS:
Despite advances in RT techniques, patients with HNC experience oral complications 6 months after RT, with resulting negative impacts on oral function and quality of life.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Radiation Injuries
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Saliva
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Stomatitis
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Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
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Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated
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Head and Neck Neoplasms
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
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Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
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Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Year:
2017
Type:
Article