title: Prospective assessment of oral mucositis and its impact on quality of life and patient-reported outcomes during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.
abstract: Oral mucositis (OM) is a common acute side effect during radiotherapy treatments for head and neck cancer (HNC), with a potential impact on patient's compliance to therapy, quality of life (QoL) and clinical outcomes. Its timely and appropriate management is of paramount importance. Several quantitative scoring scales are available to properly assess OM and its influence on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and QoL. We prospectively assessed OM in a cohort of HNC patients submitted to radiation using the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS), while its impact on PROs and QoL was evaluated employing the Oral Mucositis Weekly Questionnaire-Head and Neck Cancer (OMWQ-HN) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head and Neck Cancer (FACT-HN). Evaluation of OMAS scores highlighted a progressive increase in OM during treatment and a partial recovery after the end of radiation. These trends were correlated to PROs and QoL as evaluated with OMWQ-HN and FACT-HN questionnaires. In the present study, we provided a quantitative assessment of OM, PROs and QoL in HNC patient undergoing radiotherapy, potentially useful for future comparison.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Via Genova 3, 10126, Turin, Italy. pierfrancesco.franco@unito.it.
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2276-0687
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Via Genova 3, 10126, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Via Genova 3, 10126, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Di Muzio
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Via Genova 3, 10126, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cavallin
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, AOU Citta' della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arcadipane
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, AOU Citta' della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rampino
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 2nd Medical Oncology Division, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Oliviero
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ostellino
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, 1st ENT Division, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pecorari
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Maxillofacial Surgery Division, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garzino Demo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Maxillofacial Surgery Division, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fasolis
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 2nd Medical Oncology Division, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Airoldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Via Genova 3, 10126, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ricardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Concomitant chemo-radiotherapy; Head and neck cancer; Oral mucositis; Patient-reported outcomes; Quality of life