Premium
Does feeding tube placement predict for long‐term swallowing disability after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer?
Author(s) -
AlOthman Majid O. F.,
Amdur Robert J.,
Morris Christopher G.,
Hinerman Russell W.,
Mendenhall William M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.10279
Subject(s) - swallowing , feeding tube , medicine , head and neck cancer , radiation therapy , toxicity , acute toxicity , head and neck , tube (container) , chemotherapy , surgery , mechanical engineering , engineering
Purpose. To evaluate feeding tube use. Materials and Methods. Nine hundred thirty‐four patients were treated with radiotherapy (RT). Results. Feeding tubes were placed in 235 patients (25%): 212 patients (22.5%) for acute toxicity, 18 patients (2%) for late effects, and 5 patients (0.5%) for both. Median duration of tube dependence for acute toxicity was 3.8 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that feeding tube placement for acute toxicity was increased with higher RT dose ( p < .0001), adjuvant chemotherapy ( p = .0002), advanced age ( p = .0002), and the presence of neck disease ( p = .0045). The risk of a feeding tube for late effects was 2% at 5 years. The likelihood of feeding tube placement for late effects was greater for women ( p = .0293), higher RT dose ( p = .0345), and primary sites, including the hypopharynx and multiple synchronous primary tumors ( p = .0360). Feeding tube placement for late effects was unrelated to tube placement for acute toxicity. Conclusion. Likelihood of long‐term feeding tube dependence was low and unrelated to placement for acute effects. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 25: 741–747, 2003