Xerostomia in long-term survivors of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of Waldeyer's ring: a potential role for parotid-sparing techniques?
BACKGROUND
The degree of xerostomia in patients treated for intermediate-and high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of Waldeyer's ring (WR) is unknown.


METHODS
Fifteen patients treated for stage I-IV NHL of WR with radiotherapy (RT) were administered a xerostomia questionnaire. Numerical responses (0 = no xerostomia; 100 = maximum xerostomia) were compared with responses from 5 sets of patients treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were grouped by amount of parotid in RT field: larynx-only, ipsilateral parotid, bilateral-partial parotid, bilateral-total parotid, parotid-sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy.


RESULTS
Waldeyer's patients' median xerostomia questionnaire score was 31, which was significantly different from the larynx-only group, bilateral-partial parotid group, and bilateral-total parotid group, but not significantly different from the ipsilateral parotid group or parotid-sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy group.


CONCLUSIONS
Xerostomia in survivors WR NHL is a detectable toxicity with severity like that in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients who receive ipsilateral parotid irradiation, and warrants parotid-sparing RT techniques.
Chang
Daniel T
DT
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Amdur
Robert J
RJ
Pacholke
Heather
H
Mendenhall
Nancy P
NP
Morris
Christopher G
CG
Byer
Gracie A
GA
Olivier
Kenneth R
KR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D020522:Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011379:Prognosis; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult