Impact of the prophylactic gastrostomy for unresectable squamous cell head and neck carcinomas treated with radio-chemotherapy on quality of life: Prospective randomized trial.

Background And Purpose: Concomitant radio-chemotherapy is the gold standard treatment for unresectable head and neck carcinomas. Placement of prophylactic gastrostomy has been proposed to provide adequate nutrition during the therapeutic sequence. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of prophylactic gastrostomy on the 6-month quality of life, and to determine the factors related to this quality of life.

Nutritional factors as predictors of response to radio-chemotherapy and survival in unresectable squamous head and neck carcinoma.

Background And Purpose: This study sought to evaluate nutritional prognostic factors before treatment in patients with unresectable head and neck cancer treated by concomitant radio-chemotherapy.

Methods And Materials: Seventy-two consecutive patients were treated. We studied the potential effects of CRP, Alb, preAlb, orosomucoid, weight, weight history, BMI, PINI, OPR and NRI on response to treatment, Event-Free Survival (EFS) and Overall Survival (OS).