Weight Loss as a Nutritional Indicator in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy: Contributing Factors and Its Impact on Disease Outcome

This is a retrospective study carried out at a tertiary care cancer center to assess weight loss in patients of head and neck cancers (HNCs) during treatment with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and study various factors affecting it. Treatment and follow-up records of 77 patients of HNCs were studied and assessed for demographic, disease-specific variables, treatment parameters, weight loss during CRT, as well as survival at 2 years after treatment completion. A statistical analysis was conducted to assess the association of study variables with weight loss. It was also assessed if a correlation existed between weight loss during treatment and patient survival at 2 years. Of the study patients, 62.3% (48) suffered 5% or more weight loss during CRT while 23.4% (18) suffered a weight loss of 10% or more. No particular factor was identified having a statistically significant association with weight loss. Nutritional impairment is an important factor affecting the morbidity and possibly the mortality of patients of HNCs undergoing CRT. More robust studies are required to identify which factors affect weight loss during treatment and whether weight loss can be used as a parameter to prognosticate patients.