The 3-D radiation treatment plan limits the use of feeding tubes

Although current surgical techniques and diets for multimodal treatment allow an increasing number of head and neck cancer patients to preserve their organs, the continued dependence on the tube Nutritional transmission after treatment is a major problem for these patients.An analysis by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Research Center sought to identify what factors are related to treatment that can avoid dependence on the most feeding tube.

Practitioner Linna Li, MD, who presented the results today at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiology and Cancer Research in Philadelphia, said: 'Three-dimensional treatment plans seem to have a significant impact on improving quality of life by limiting dependence on feeding tubes.'

Previous research has analyzed treatment records since 1997 for patients receiving definitive radiological or surgical treatment and chemotherapy - for cell carcinoma. Scales of the throat, including the oropharynx and lower larynx and larynx. A definitive radiotherapy is a process of radiotherapy that removes known cancer.

Appropriate patients - a total of 90 people who have had cancer or stage III or stage IV that have not been previously treated for radiation or surgery in the head and neck area and still have no cancer for 18 months better after completing radiation therapy.

3D Radiation Sample (Photo: Supernec.com)

Most patients were men (82%) - those with oral-almost cancer (63%) in stage T (the extent of the first tumor, including size, when diagnosed) or T2 or T3 (71%).

Only 44% of patients underwent neck surgery, but 58% also used chemotherapy. Only 10% undergo radiation therapy using modified segmentation plans. 60% experienced a two-way treatment plan for radiation therapy while 40% experienced a three-dimensional CT-based treatment plan.

A feeding tube was given to 56 of these 90 patients (62%): 19 before radiation therapy, 26 during treatment and 11 after treatment. Two-thirds of these patients requested a feeding tube during the next period, only 15% still used the tube after 18 months.

Li said: 'In the analysis of factors related to feeding tube dependency for 18 months, only higher T stage and 2-D treatment plan are independent predictors. In 54 patients who underwent a 2-D treatment plan, 20 patients were dependent on feeding tubes for 18 months compared to only 5 out of 36 patients undergoing 3-D treatment. Of the three intensity-adjusted radiotherapy patients instead of traditional radiation, no one depends on the feeding tube. '

Li concluded: 'The 3-D treatment plan can help victims avoid reliance on feeding tubes. Reasonable explanations may be that the improved tumor is directed to smaller areas that receive high levels of radiation and more evenly distributed amounts in large areas of radiation. '

Thien Kim