Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40319283›Full record

ArticleRadiation oncology (London, England)2025

The role of radiotherapy planning images in monitoring malnutrition and predicting prognosis in head and neck cancer patients: a pilot study.

Beste M Atasoy, Birsen Demirel, Feyza Nur Ekşi Özdaş, Bennur Devran, Zehra Nur Kılıç, Dilek Gül

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Article in Radiation oncology (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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2 citing papers in PubMed.

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6 authors.

Beste M AtasoyDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye. bmatasoy@yahoo.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1320-9105
Birsen DemirelFaculty of Health Science Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye.
Feyza Nur Ekşi ÖzdaşNutrition and Dietetic Division, MH-Marmara University Pendik Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Bennur DevranDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Zehra Nur KılıçMarmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Dilek GülRadiation Oncology Clinic, MH-Marmara University Pendik Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdaptive treatment planning can be made in radiotherapy of head and neck cancer patients for reasons such as changes in tumor volume or weight loss. This study aims to find the role of treatment planning images in monitoring radiotherapy-induced malnutrition and predicting the malnutrition-induced prognosis in head and neck cancer patients.

methodsFor this study, we analyzed 30 patients who received radiotherapy in our clinic between September 2018 and September 2021. Those patients, both regular and completed weekly dietitian counseling notes during radiotherapy and available adaptive radiotherapy planning images, were included in the analysis. All patients had weekly nutritional interventions, including nutritional and anthropometric changes in weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and lean body mass (LBM). Skeletal muscle volume, called cervical muscle gauge (CMG), was measured from the simulation images of beginning and adaptive radiotherapy. Inflammatory parameters, including the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the systemic inflammatory index (SII), were also calculated from weekly total blood counts. For the analysis, anthropometric measurements were compared at the beginning and adaptive treatment time. Progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival were calculated according to weight and CMG changes.

resultsThe median weight loss percentage was 4.8% (0 to 24%). The mean percentage of weight changes, LBM, and CMG were 6.33%, 3.47%, and 9.28%, respectively. Results indicated that BMI (p = 006), weight (p < 0.001), LBM (p < 0.001), and CMG (p = 0.057) decreased during radiotherapy. Hemoglobin levels decreased (p = 0.005), and inflammatory markers increased. There were significant correlations between weight and LBM (p < 0.0001) and CMG (p = 0.005) loss. The median follow-up was 26 months. Loss of weight (PFS; 65.5% vs. 35.7%, p = 0.09, OS; 73.7% vs. 32.1%, p = 0.09), LBM (PFS; 75% vs. 41.1%, p = 0.118, OS; 65.6% vs. 52%, p = 0.221) and CMG (PFS; 56.3% vs. 47.1%, p = 0.516, OS;76.9% vs. 32.4%, p = 0.059) negatively affected three-year survival.

conclusionsCervical muscle volume measurement may help predict malnutrition in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Our study shows adaptive planning images may be used for this approach. In addition, this method may help to predict prognosis due to malnutrition in patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Indexed as

Head and Neck NeoplasmsMalnutritionRadiotherapy Planning, Computer-AssistedAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsPrognosisRadiotherapy, Intensity-ModulatedAdaptive radiotherapy imagesCervical muscle gaugeHead and neck cancerMalnutritionRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID40319283
PMCPMC12049786

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