Many studies have shown that Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) has high incidence of malnutrition; 20% to 67% of HNC patients are malnourished at the time of diagnosis or they are at high risk of becoming malnourished during treatment. The unique location, treatment modalities and side effects of radiotherapy such as oropharyngeal mucositis, xerostomia and dysphagia has a major role in developing malnutrition in HNC patients. Among various nutritional assessment methods such as anthropometric measurements, biochemical, clinical, dietary assessments, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, CT and MRI; BIA (Body Impedance Analysis) remains a reliable, economical method to assess nutritional status. It can give details of Total Body Water (TBW), Fat Mass (FM),Fat Free Mass (FFM) and Bone Mass (BM).Many studies have shown that nutritional supplementation results in good clinical outcome and reduces economic burden in cancer patients.
AIM OF THE STUDY:
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of oral nutritional supplements in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy in Alexandria University Clinical Oncology Department. Primary objective of this study was to compare the changes in FFM, FM and BM in Oral Nutritional Supplement (ONS) and No ONS groups. At the same time, it was aimed to correlate the relationship between ONS and radiation related acute toxicity as well as patients' compliance to treatment.