The Role of Oral Nutritional Supplements in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy

This study aimed to assess the impact of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) on nutritional intake, body weight, and body composition in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy. The study evaluated whether ONS could prevent treatment-related nutritional deterioration. This pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 20; p. 2070
Main Authors:	Abouegylah, Mohamed, Udugamasooriya, Suchira Subodini, Ahmed, Ahmed Adel, Tas, Kerem Tuna, Lishewski, Philipp, Smalec, Edgar, Schmich, Gertrud, Vorwerk, Hilke, Eberle, Fabian, Adeberg, Sebastian, Gawish, Ahmed, Ismail, Abdelsalam A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland MDPI AG 17-10-2024 MDPI
Subjects:	Body composition Body mass index Body weight Bones Cancer Cancer patients Cancer therapies Care and treatment Chemotherapy Complications and side effects Counseling Density Dietary supplements Food and nutrition Head & neck cancer Head and neck cancer Health aspects Histology Malnutrition Medical research Medicine, Experimental Mortality Nutrition therapy Nutritional status Patients Physiological aspects Prevention Quality of life Radiation therapy Radiotherapy Risk factors Vitamins Germany radiotherapy head and neck cancer chemotherapy radiation toxicities oral nutritional supplementation (ONS)
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Summary:	This study aimed to assess the impact of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) on nutritional intake, body weight, and body composition in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy. The study evaluated whether ONS could prevent treatment-related nutritional deterioration. This prospective observational pilot study included 30 HNC patients randomized into two groups: ONS (n = 15) and No ONS (n = 15). All participants underwent chemoradiotherapy, with the ONS group receiving 200 mL of a high-calorie, high-protein supplement twice daily. Nutritional status, including body weight, BMI, fat mass, fat-free mass, and bone mass, was assessed at three time points: baseline, mid-treatment, and end of treatment. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, with a -value of ≤0.05 considered statistically significant. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the two groups in body weight, BMI, or body composition. By the end of radiotherapy, the No ONS group showed significant reductions in body weight ( < 0.001), BMI ( < 0.001), fat mass ( < 0.001), and fat-free mass ( < 0.001), while the ONS group maintained more stable nutritional parameters. Acute radiotherapy toxicities, including nausea, dysphagia, and oral mucositis, were not significantly different between the two groups. ONS effectively mitigates weight loss and preserves body composition in HNC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy. While no significant reduction in radiation-induced toxicities was observed, the nutritional benefits of ONS support its use in preventing malnutrition in this patient population. Larger studies are needed to further validate these findings.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:	2227-9032 2227-9032
DOI:	10.3390/healthcare12202070