Influence of Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy on the Life Quality of Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Abstract

The present study intends to explore the influence of intensity-modulated radiation therapy on the quality of life for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which provides a theoretical basis and practical foundation for clinical practice. The present study randomly enrolled 130 cases of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in different stages who were admitted in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from September 2007 to August 2012, including 65 cases in IMRT group who received intensity-modulated radiation therapy and 65 cases in CRT group who received conventional radiation therapy. The prescribed dose in the target region of radical radiation therapy was 72Gy/36f; the prescribed dose in the target region at high risk was 60-64Gy/30-32f; the prescribed dose in the target region at low risk was 50-54Gy/25-27f and 2Gy/f, with conventional fractionated irradiation of 1f/d and 5f/w. The data of the quality of life for patients with NPC who received intensity-modulated radiation therapy and conventional radiation therapy were collected and analyzed by filling in the questionnaire survey, including the Quality of Life Questionnaire of Head and Neck 35 (QLQ-H&N35) and Shot Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). RP, VT, BP, SF, and RE scores in eight fields in SF-36 Scale were declined during the radiation therapy and risen again after radiation therapy, and those measured at 6months after radiation therapy were higher than those before radiation therapy (all P<0.05). The scores in IMRT group measured at two and six months after radiation therapy were all higher than those in CRT group (all P<0.05). The scores of head and neck pain, pararthria, dysphagia, social difficulty, sensory difficulty, difficulty in feeding, xerostomia, cough, sticky saliva, and sensory discomfort during the radiation therapy were lower than those before radiation therapy (all P<0.05). Except for the scores of sticky saliva and xerostomia, the other scores measured at 6months after radiation therapy were all lower than those before radiation therapy, and the scores of dysphagia, sticky saliva, and xerostomia in MRT group were lower than those in CRT group (all P<0.05). Conventional radiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy can cause a decline the quality of life for the patient with head and neck cancer, but intensity-modulated radiation therapy can improve local tumor control rate and significantly reduce the incidence of adverse reactions.