RADIOTHERAPY DOSIMETRIC DATA AND ORAL COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Abstract

Objective To study the relation between the dosimetric parameters of the radiotherapy design protocols for head and neck cancers and the acute oral complications resulting from this treatment. Study Design This was a cross-sectional, quantitative approach. Radiotherapy was planned according to established design protocols. The constraints used were those described in QUANTEC (Quantitative Analyses of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic) and the complications were classified based on the CTCAE (National Cancer Institute's Common Criteria Chart of Toxicity). Results Eleven patients participated, most of them male (89%), with a mean age of 60.2 years. The most frequent tumor site was oropharynx (55%) and the degree of staging IV (64%). Among the participants, 73% were smokers and 82% had a habit of drinking alcohol. The most frequent oral complications were dysphagia (91%), xerostomia (82%), mucositis (54%), and oral pain (54%). For the complications dysphagia, xerostomia, and mucositis, relations were found between the dosimetric data and the development of these; for oral pain, the difference between the groups was not significant. Conclusions Dosimetric data are directly related to the development of certain oral complications resulting from radiotherapy treatment for malignant head and neck neoplasms.