Effect of nutritional status before radiotherapy on radiation-induced acute toxicities in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: To investigate the effect of nutritional status on radiation-induced acute toxicities in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients before radiotherapy.

Methods: Nutritional status of 228 patients with NPC who received intensity-modulated radiotherapy was retrospectively analyzed by modified nutrition index (m-NI). Cumulative grading score of six common acute toxicities were defined as total score for acute toxicities.

Results: M-NI ≤6 is a risk factor for xerostomia (p = 0.016, OR = 0.208, 95% CI 0.058-0.743), oral mucositis (p = 0.016, OR = 0.287, 95% CI 0.104-0.793), dysgeusia (p = 0.001, OR = 0.028, 95% CI 0.004-0.217), and dysphagia (p = 0.015, OR = 0.251, 95% CI 0.083-0.764) as well in patients with NPC. Total score of radiation-induced acute toxicities of patients with malnutrition (13.6 ± 1.7) was significantly higher than that of patients with normal nutrition (12.0 ± 2.4) (t = -5.464, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: NPC patients with malnutrition before radiotherapy develop more serious dysgeusia, oral mucositis, dysphagia, and xerostomia after intensity-modulated radiotherapy.