New way to identify patients at risk of dysphagia after head and neck cancer treatment

Phase III results

2011-02-28

(Press-News.org) At the 3rd International Conference on innovative approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO), Dr Hanna Rahbek Mortensen and colleagues at hospitals and institutes in Denmark presented results from a large prospective trial, the DAHANCA 6 & 7 study. The study, conducted across the country, investigated risk factors for developing dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction), after undergoing radiotherapy treatment for a head & neck cancer. "We followed 1,476 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and found out the existence of factors related to the cancer itself, to the patient and to the treatment influencing the development of dysphagia," said Dr Mortensen. Dysphagia may be acute (starting in direct association with treatment) or late (starting months to years after treatment). Risk factors for developing severe acute dysphagia were large tumours, spreading of cancer cells to the lymph nodes, swallowing problems at the time of diagnosis, 6 treatments per week and tumour location other than the vocal cords. Risk factors for developing late dysphagia were large tumours, swallowing problems at the time of diagnosis and tumour location other than the vocal cords. 83% of all head & neck cancer patients develop some kind of dysphagia, but this predictive model will have a major impact on patient quality of life.

"These results are very important," said Dr JA Langendijk from the University Medical Center of Groningen, The Netherlands. "Today, with the increasing use of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), the dose to the salivary glands is reduced resulting in lower risks on xerostomia (dry mouth). However, swallowing dysfunction is remaining an important side effect following irradiation in the head and neck region. Therefore, the identification of patients that are at highest risk for dysphagia, in particular late and persistent, is of major importance as this will help us to provide them with preventive measures", said Dr Langendijk.

Gastric tubes insertion and swallowing exercises could be prescribed and prevent malnutrition and weight loss. "This study will be very helpful to improve the quality of life of patients," noted Dr Mortensen. "Indeed, these measures at an early stage of the treatment will considerably reduce swallowing disorders".

But the results will also lead to a better treatment. "Dysphagia is a limiting factor for further intensification of head and neck radiotherapy. This is why the knowledge provided here may help us to better tailor treatments for the patients: it may allow us to increase the intensity of the treatment while maintaining their quality of life," concluded Dr Mortensen.

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Little historical evidence to support cutting global health aid during recessions

2011-02-28

Boston, MA – The World Bank and World Health Organization have voiced fears that policymakers will break their commitments to support desperately needed global health services in low- and middle-income countries because of the ongoing global economic downturn. Yet, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, there is surprisingly little historical evidence to justify reversing these commitments. "In order to achieve a sustainable economic recovery, governments must first take care of people's most basic health needs," said David Stuckler, assistant ...

Quick, easy test identifies aggressive type of lung cancer in never-smokers

2011-02-28

An inexpensive and rapid testing method can effectively identify a sub-group of never-smoking lung cancer patients whose tumors express a molecule associated with increased risk of disease progression or recurrence, US researchers have found. Dr Ping Yang from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA, and colleagues, reported the findings at the European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology (EMCTO), 24-26 February 2011, Lugano, Switzerland. Approximately 8% - 12% of patients with lung adenocarcinoma who have never smoked cigarettes carry tumors that express a protein ...

Oncogene AEG-1 strongly predicts response to erlotinib treatment in EGFR-mutant lung cancer

2011-02-28

Spanish researchers have identified a gene whose expression level strongly predicts how well certain lung cancer patients will respond to treatment with the drug erlotinib. Dr Rafael Rosell and colleagues reported their findings at the European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology (EMCTO), 24-26 February 2011 in Lugano, Switzerland. The researchers studied 55 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, whose tumors had mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. All were being treated with the drug erlotinib, which acts on the EGFR molecule. "Currently ...

Bone drug zoledronic acid may help prevent spread of early lung cancer

2011-02-28

A drug that is currently used to help treat bone metastases in patients with lung cancer could also be useful at an earlier stage of treatment, to prevent the cancer from spreading in the first place, Italian researchers have found. Dr Michela Quirino and colleagues from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome have reported important new evidence that zoledronic acid may be able to prevent lung cancer metastases from recruiting the new blood vessels they need to survive. This process of recruiting new blood vessels is called angiogenesis. "Our investigation ...

Brain imaging provides window into consciousness

2011-02-28

NEW YORK (Feb. 25, 2011) -- Using a sophisticated imaging test to probe for higher-level cognitive functioning in severely brain-injured patients provides a window into consciousness -- but the view it presents is one that is blurred in fascinating ways, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in the Feb. 25 online edition of the journal Brain. In a novel study of six patients ranging in their function from minimally conscious state to the locked-in syndrome (normal cognitive function with severe motor impairment), the researchers looked at how the brains of ...

Adverse drug events costly to health care system: Vancouver Coastal Health-UBC research

2011-02-28

Patients who suffer an adverse medical event arising from the use or misuse of medications are more costly to the health care system than other emergency department (ED) patients, say physicians and research scientists at Vancouver General Hospital and UBC. Their research, the first to examine the health outcomes and cost of patient care for patients presenting to the ED with adverse drug events, is published today in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The research team, led by Dr. Corinne Hohl, emergency physician at Vancouver General Hospital and research scientist with ...

Scientists find increase in microearthquakes after Chilean quake

2011-02-28

By studying seismographs from the earthquake that hit Chile last February, earth scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found a statistically significant increase of microearthquakes in central California in the first few hours after the main shock. The observation provides an additional support that seismic waves from distant earthquakes could also trigger seismic events on the other side of the earth. The results may be found online in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. It has been well known that microearthquakes can be triggered instantaneously ...

New study shows marine 'networks' can protect fish stocks

2011-02-28

MIAMI -- University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science faculty were part of an international scientific team to show that strong links between the corals reefs of the South China Sea, West Pacific and Coral Triangle hold the key to preserving fish and marine resources in the Asia-Pacific region. Rosenstiel School researchers Drs. Claire Paris and Robert Cowen and colleagues from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University and University of California - Los Angeles, have established that the richest marine region ...

Listening to music is biological

2011-02-28

Music is listened in all known cultures. Similarities between human and animal song have been detected: both contain a message, an intention that reflects innate emotional state that is interpreted correctly even among different species. In fact, several behavioral features in listening to music are closely related to attachment: lullabies are song to infants to increase their attachment to a parent, and singing or playing music together is based on teamwork and may add group cohesion. In the study of University of Helsinki and Sibelius-Academy, Helsinki, the biological ...

Happy children make happy adults

2011-02-28

Being a 'happy' teenager is linked to increased well-being in adulthood, new research finds. Much is known about the associations between a troubled childhood and mental health problems, but little research has examined the affect of a positive childhood. For the first time, researchers from the University of Cambridge and the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing have analysed the link between a positive adolescence and well-being in midlife. Using information from 2776 individuals who participated in the 1946 British birth cohort study, the scientists tested ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Seabird poop could have been used to fertilize Peru's Chincha Valley by at least 1250 CE, potentially facilitating the expansion of its pre-Inca society