A prospective study on malnutrition and quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer

SummaryThe objective of this observational prospective study in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral, oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cavity was to look into the relation between malnutrition (⩾10% unintended weight loss within 6 months) and specific quality of life (QoL) parameters longitudinally. Bodyweight and QoL were monitored in 47 patients with SCC at diagnosis, end of treatment and six months after treatment. EORTC QoLQ-C30 and H&N 35 questionnaires were used to assess QoL. Significantly lower scores on the global QoL during treatment (p = 0.01) and revalidation (p = 0.02) were found for patients who had lost ⩾10% compared to patients with <10% loss of weight within 6 month. Patients with radiotherapy and a treatment modality of radiotherapy with surgery or chemotherapy kept their unintended weight loss until the end of treatment. Patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy are specifically susceptible to malnutrition during treatment with no improvement in body weight or QoL. Professional preventive nutritional support is therefore already required on diagnoses.