Clinical impact of cachexia in head and neck cancer patients who received chemoradiotherapy

Abstract

Purpose: There have been few reports on the evaluation of cancer cachexia based on skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) in patients with head and neck cancer. Patients and Methods: One hundred and ninety-two head and neck cancer patients were enrolled. In definitive and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy settings, clinical outcomes were compared between cachexia and non-cachexia patients. Results: Forty patients were diagnosed with cachexia (20.8%). In the definitive setting, overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in the cachexia group (3-year OS: 50.0% vs 88.5%; p < 0.01), and multivariate analysis identified UICC stage IV, baseline albumin of <4 and cachexia as poor prognostic factors. However, cachexia was not significant in the adjuvant setting. Conclusion: Cancer cachexia was negatively associated with prognosis in patients with HNC who received definitive chemoradiotherapy. Nutritional intervention during chemora-diotherapy may improve survival in these patients.