| ORIGINAL ARTICLES |
|
| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 1
| Issue : 2 | Page : 66-71 |
|
|
Unscheduled treatment breaks during radical radiotherapy for head and neck cancers: An audit from a tertiary care center
Treshita Dey, Ankita Gupta, Nagarjun Roa Ballari, Sushmita Ghoshal, Avradeep Datta
Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Correspondence Address:
Avradeep Datta
Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/bjoc.bjoc_5_21
|
|
|
Aims: The aim of this article was to audit radical radiotherapy practice in head and neck cancer to assess unscheduled treatment breaks and their reasons thereof. Materials and Methods: Records of all patients of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas registered in the year preceding the pandemic were analyzed. A total of 287 patients treated with radical intent with doses equivalent to 66 Gy in 33 fractions were eligible for final analysis. Results: More than half (148/287) of our patients suffered from treatment breaks during their radiotherapy treatment with primary cause being treatment-related toxicities. Radiotherapy dose of 66 Gy and above (P < 0.001), primary in the oral cavity (P = 0.009), and preceding surgery and concurrent chemotherapy (P = 0.032) were found to be significantly associated with treatment breaks as well as breaks lasting for 15 days or more. Patients having a break in their treatment were also found to have a significantly low progression-free survival (25.8 vs. 12.7 months; P = 0.012). Conclusion: It is in the interest of the patients that stringent patients’ selection criteria identify the ideal candidates for treatment intensification. |
|
|
|
| [FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|
