Head and neck cancer patients treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy involving the oral cavity and oropharynx: is another choice possible than prophylactic gastrostomy?

Purpose Of Review: Recent recommendations on cachexia highlight, in head and neck cancers, the heterogeneity of studies, focusing on weight loss and sequelae including swallowing disorders. The current national guidelines emphasize that, in cases of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) involving the oral cavity and oropharynx, prophylactic gastrostomy placement should be carried out systematically. We review why this technique is particularly relevant in this specific location for the feasibility of cCRT.

Identification of F-FDG PET/CT Parameters Associated with Weight Loss in Patients with Esophageal Cancer.

F-FDG PET-CT is routinely performed as part of the initial staging of numerous cancers. Other than having descriptive, predictive and prognostic values for tumors, F-FDG PET-CT provides full-body data, which could inform on concurrent pathophysiological processes such as malnutrition. To test this hypothesis, we measured the F-FDG uptake in several organs and evaluated their association with weight loss in patients at diagnosis of esophageal cancer.

Trismus Occurrence and Link With Radiotherapy Doses in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated With Chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) induces side-effects, including trismus, which impairs quality of life by causing difficulty to eat, speak, and maintain good oral hygiene, and by altering social life. Given the wide variation of reported trismus prevalence and as a first mandatory step for the preventive physiotherapy OPEN program (NCT03979924) this study evaluated trismus occurrence and its link with radiation doses.

Methods: Study population was non-larynx HNC patients with epidermoid carcinoma treated with CRT, with or without surgery.