The findings of this study were presented January 27, 2012, at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), held in Phoenix (AZ, USA).

IMRT is a very specialized form of external beam-radiation therapy that allows the beam to better target and conform to a tumor. It is a newer treatment that has become widely accepted for treating head and neck cancer. Earlier research has demonstrated that IMRT decreases the risk of radiation therapy-related side effects, including dry mouth and chewing and swallowing problems; however, no study has been conducted to measure long-term quality of life in head and neck cancer patients treated with various forms of radiation therapy.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine (Sacramento, USA) prospectively administered the University of Washington [Seattle, USA] Quality of Life instrument, a standardized, earlier validated questionnaire that patients complete after radiation therapy, to 155 patients undergoing treatment for cancers of the head and neck and examined the scores over time. Fifty-four percent of patients were initially treated with IMRT and 46% were treated with non-IMRT techniques.

The researchers revealed that the early quality of life gains associated with IMRT not only are maintained but also become more amplified over time. At one-year post-treatment, 51% of IMRT patients rated their quality of life as very good or outstanding compared to 41% of non-IMRT patients. However, at two-years after treatment, the percentages changed to 73% and 49%, respectively. Moreover, 80% of patients treated with IMRT reported that their health-related quality of life was much better or slightly better compared to the month before developing cancer. In contrast, only 61% of patients treated by non-IMRT techniques felt similarly.

Although the researchers acknowledged that quality of life is somewhat of a subjective idea, they nevertheless believe their findings support the widespread use of IMRT for head and neck cancer. “Hopefully, these results provide some reassurance to patients that radiation therapy using contemporary techniques in the hands of expert specialists can maintain their function and long-term quality of life, while still curing them of cancer,” Allen Chen, MD, lead author of the study and director of the radiation oncology residency training program at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, said.

“Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer is without a doubt an intensive process and very intimidating to most patients. Folks think about the prospects of six to seven weeks of radiation and naturally expect the worst. It is nice to know that technological advances have made the treatment much more tolerable than in the past.”

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University of California, Davis, School of Medicine