Predictors of Weight Loss in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Radiation or Concurrent Chemoradiation Treated at a Tertiary Cancer Center

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) has remained the mainstay treatment approach for head and neck cancers. Weight loss due to tumor or tumor-related factors remains a major health issue among head and neck cancer patients. Methods: A total of 357 patients were identified for the study. Possible weight-loss predictors were determined in the patients undergoing RT based on the patient demographics, tumor site, and treatment characteristics. Results: The mean age of patients was 52 years, whereas the median age was 51 years (range, 18-87). Two hundred and thirteen (66%) patients had oral cavity cancers, 43 (14%) had oropharyngeal cancer, 26 (8%) had hypopharyngeal cancer, 13 (6%) had larynx cancer, and 19 (6%) had other site involvement. A total of 192 patients received 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT), whereas 127 patients received intensity modulated radiation therapy-image guided radiation therapy (IMRT-IGRT), 212 (66%) received concurrent chemotherapy, and 107 (34%) patients did not receive concurrent chemotherapy. A total of 127 (40%) of the patients gained weight during the first week of RT; on the other hand, maximum weight loss among patients was occurred during the third and fourth weeks of RT. Conclusion: Analysis by logistic regression determined there is significant weight loss (>10%) in patients receiving radical RT as compared with adjuvant RT. Better outcomes were observed in patients receiving RT by IMRT-IGRT technique as compared with 3DCRT technique.