An investigation of the incidence and severity of patient related side effects following radiation therapy treatment of the head and neck

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the incidence and severity of mucositis, xerostomia and dermatitis following head and neck radiotherapy for patients treated at the Mid North Coast and Northern NSW Cancer Institutes between January 2011 and June 2017. Method(s): Following ethics approval, clinical data for patients meeting the project inclusion criteria (received radiotherapy for squamous cell head and neck cancer; toxicities recorded at baseline, during, and post-treatment) was extracted from the Oncology Information System (MOSAIQ). The differences in toxicities at baseline, during treatment, and up to 2 years post-treatment were compared and tested for significance using chi-square analysis. Result(s): 237 patients met the inclusion criteria. With regard to mucositis, xerostomia and dermatitis respectively, 71.5%, 51.9% and 77.2% of patients experienced a maximum acute toxicity >= Grade 2 (Figure 1). There was a statistically significant difference regarding the acute toxicities compared to baseline for all three toxicity measures (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between baseline and late mucositis (P = 0.01) and xerostomia (P < 0.001), however there was no statistically significant difference for dermatitis (P = 0.62). Discussion(s): Preliminary results indicate that there was a significant increase in mucositis, xerostomia and dermatitis during treatment, as well as mucositis and xerostomia post-treatment. The next phase of this research will investigate whether there is a correlation between these toxicities and planning protocol deviations. This work highlights how data that is routinely collected can be analysed and possibly used to inform decisions for future patients.