Prophylactic gastrostomy tube during chemoradiation for head and neck cancer decreases weight loss but increases rate of tube use beyond six months.

Importance: The role of prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients treated with chemoradiation remains controversial and varies by center.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of prophylactic PEG tube placement in patients undergoing chemoradiation for HNC PEG tube use for more than 6 months and weight loss.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This single-institution retrospective study included 502 patients with head and neck cancer.

Association of low adherence to weekly cisplatin with outcomes in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline recommends consideration of weekly cisplatin as an alternative option for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation. However, in a recent phase III trial (ConCERT), 20% of patients treated with weekly cisplatin could not receive a total of 200 mg/m, and the association of low adherence to weekly cisplatin and cancer control outcomes remains unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed an observational cohort study of patients with head and neck cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin.

Exploring team dynamics during the development of a multi-institutional cross-disciplinary translational team: Implications for potential best practices.

Introduction: A recent literature review revealed no studies that explored teams that used an explicit theoretical framework for multiteam systems in academic settings, such as the increasingly important multi-institutional cross-disciplinary translational team (MCTT) form. We conducted an exploratory 30-interview grounded theory study over two rounds to analyze participants' experiences from three universities who assembled an MCTT in order to pursue a complex grant proposal related to research on post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, also called "long COVID." This article considers activities beginning with preliminary discussions among principal investigators through grant writing and submission, and completion of reviews by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, which resulted in the proposal not being scored.

Association of Body Mass Index With Outcomes Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Chemoradiotherapy.

Importance: Combined modality therapy, such as chemoradiotherapy, often results in significant morbidity among patients with head and neck cancer. Although the role of body mass index (BMI) varies based on cancer subtypes, its association with treatment response, tumor recurrence, and survival outcomes among patients with head and neck cancer remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the role of BMI in treatment response, tumor recurrence, and survival outcomes among patients with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy.