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

• 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)
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12202070
• EISSN: 2227-9032

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.