Tube Feeding in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy

th version questionnaire was used to assess the patients' health related quality of life (HRQoL) and 5 points pain score for general pain assessment weekly during the radiotherapy and monthly after radiotherapy. Elective tube (ET) feeding was performed by fluoroscope guided percutaneous gastrostomy. Therapeutic tube (TT) feeding was performed by nasogastric tube or gastrostomy tube. Results: Twenty-four patients received ET feeding, 77 patients received TT feeding and 107 patients had no tube (NT) feeding. There were significant body weight (BW) change among these three groups, BW loss ((initial BW - lowest BW)/initial BW) was 6.0+/- 4.5%, 8.2+/- 5.3%, 9.3+/- 5.6 and BW change ((initial BW - BW at 3 months after radiotherapy)/initial) was 4.9 +/- 5.8%, 6.0 +/- 6.8%, 7.7 +/- 6.5% in ET, TT and NT patients. However, ET and TT patients experience more severe pain than NT patients. There were no significant difference in HRQoL, chance of completed planned radiotherapy and total radiotherapy duration among three groups. Patients experienced more severe pain had significant worse HRQoL. Conclusion: There are less body weight loss for H&N cancer patients received ET feeding for CCRT compared to TT and NT patients. However ET feeding will let patients experience more pain but similar HRQoL and chance to complete of planned treatment. ET feeding may not be necessary considered as routine for H&N patients received CCRT. Aggressive pain management may be important to improve the patients' HRQoL during CCRT.