Can Dose Reduction to One Parotid Gland Prevent Xerostomia? — A Feasibility Study for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy

Dryness of the mouth is one of the most distressing chronic toxicities of radiation therapy in head and neck cancers. In this study, parotid function was assessed in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancers undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain)) Vol. 18; no. 6; pp. 497 - 504
Main Authors:	Anand, A.K., Jain, J., Negi, P.S., Chaudhoory, A.R., Sinha, S.N., Choudhury, P.S., Kumar, R., Munjal, R.K.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2006
Subjects:	Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use Combined Modality Therapy Disease Progression Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation Feasibility Studies Follow-Up Studies Head and neck Head and Neck Neoplasms - drug therapy Head and Neck Neoplasms - radiotherapy Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery Humans IMRT Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods Neoplasm Recurrence, Local Neoplasm Staging Parotid Gland - diagnostic imaging Parotid Gland - physiopathology Parotid Gland - radiation effects Radionuclide Imaging Radiotherapy Dosage Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated - adverse effects Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated - methods Sensitivity and Specificity Surveys and Questionnaires Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods Treatment Outcome Xerostomia - etiology Xerostomia - prevention & control xerostomia prevention IMRT Head and neck xerostomia prevention
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Summary:	Dryness of the mouth is one of the most distressing chronic toxicities of radiation therapy in head and neck cancers. In this study, parotid function was assessed in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancers undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy. Parotid function was assessed with the help of a questionnaire and parotid scintigraphy, especially with regards to unilateral sparing of the parotid gland. In total, 19 patients were treated with compensator-based IMRT between February 2003 and March 2004. The dose to the clinical target volume ranged between 66 and 70 Gy in 30–35 fractions to 95% of the isodose volume. Ipsilateral high-risk neck nodes received an average dose of 60 Gy and the contralateral low-risk neck received a dose of 54–56 Gy. Eight of 19 patients also received concomitant chemotherapy. Subjective toxicity to the parotid glands was assessed with the help of a questionnaire at 0, 3 and 6 months and objective toxicity was assessed with parotid scintigraphy at 0 and 3 months. The mean dose to the ipsilateral parotid gland ranged from 19.5 to 52.8 Gy (mean 33.14 Gy) and the mean dose to the contralateral gland was 11.1–46.6 Gy (mean 26.85 Gy). At a median follow-up of 13 months, 9/19 patients had no symptoms of dryness of the mouth (grade I), 8/19 had mild dryness of the mouth (grade II) and only 2/19 had grade III xerostomia, although the parotid gland could only be spared on one side in most of the patients. Minimising the radiation dose to one of the parotid glands with the help of IMRT in patients with advanced head and neck cancers can prevent xerostomia in most patients and parotid scintigraphy is a useful method of documenting xerostomia.
ISSN:	0936-6555 1433-2981
DOI:	10.1016/j.clon.2006.04.014