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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Head and Neck Cancer
Volume 14 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1424034
Improved quality of life in head and neck cancer patients treated with modern arc radiotherapy techniques - A prospective longitudinal analysis
Provisionally accepted- Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
This single-center prospective study assessed the impact of modern arc radiotherapy techniques on the quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer. Participants completed the EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-H&N 35, and utility score questionnaires at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post-RT. Findings indicate significant improvements in global quality of life, physical function, and specific symptoms from 2 weeks to 3 months post-RT, with a plateau thereafter. Notably, social function, social contact, speech, pain and nutrition required longer recovery intervals after treatment. Helical tomotherapy was particularly effective in providing pain relief, and participation in swallowing rehabilitation programs significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. These results suggest that patients with head and neck cancer benefit from modern arc radiotherapy techniques with the most significant life quality improvements occurring within the first 3 months post-treatment, while extended recovery periods is needed for certain functional aspects.
Keywords: head and neck cancer, Quality of Life, Radiation therapy (radiotherapy), VMAT (volumetric modulated arc therapy), tomotherapy, Arc radiation therapy
Received: 27 Apr 2024; Accepted: 03 Sep 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Chuang, Hou, Shueng, Lo, Lin, Lin, Wu, Jiang, Chung, Hsu, Kuo, Lu, Liao and Hsieh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ping-Yi Lin, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
Po-Hsuan Wu, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
Jing-Gu Jiang, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
Chen-Xiong Hsu, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
Yueh-Feng Lu, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
Li-Jen Liao, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
Chen-Hsi Hsieh, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH), Xinbei, Taiwan
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