Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy is Associated With Improved Global Quality of Life Among Long-term Survivors of Head-and-Neck Cancer

The impact of oral rehabilitation on oral health-related quality of life in patients receiving radiotherapy for the treatment of head and neck cancer

“…It could be speculated that a further optimization in irradiation techniques and a concomitant reduction in side effects, such as difficulty in swallowing, impaired sense of taste, xerostomia, and speech difficulties, could lead to a change in OHIP summary scores to the level of the normal population [33]. If this is the case, teeth and dentures may become increasingly important in terms of their impact on OHRQoL.…”

It is not just IMRT: Human papillomavirus related oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma is associated with better swallowing outcomes after definitive chemoradiotherapy

“…Many techniques have been described to reduce the incidence of long term swallowing dysfunction including improved rehabilitative techniques, improved supportive care during treatment, and the decreasing use of prophylactic gastrostomy tubes during treatment [5,6]. One of the most common reasons cited for an improvement in late swallowing dysfunction has been the increasing use of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which allows for better avoidance of normal tissues that are critical to swallowing [3,[7][8][9]. However, the recent increased adoption of IMRT during the last decade has http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oraloncology.2015.04.008 1368-8375/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.…”

Promises and pitfalls of new technology in radiotherapy

“…Theoretically, this reduced toxicity should lead to better quality of life (QOL) outcomes, and that is precisely what some authors have found. For example, in a study published just this year (2012), Chen et al reported that IMRT improves QOL in head & neck cancer [6].…”