1. Patient- and treatment-related risk factors associated with neck muscle spasm in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after intensity-modulated radiotherapy.
- Author
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Lu-Lu Zhang, Guan-Qun Zhou, Zhen-Yu Qi, Xiao-Jun He, Jia-Xiang Li, Ling-Long Tang, Yan-Ping Mao, Ai-Hua Lin, Jun Ma, Ying Sun, Zhang, Lu-Lu, Zhou, Guan-Qun, Qi, Zhen-Yu, He, Xiao-Jun, Li, Jia-Xiang, Tang, Ling-Long, Mao, Yan-Ping, Lin, Ai-Hua, Ma, Jun, and Sun, Ying
- Subjects
NASOPHARYNX cancer ,NECK muscles ,INTENSITY modulated radiotherapy ,CANCER radiotherapy ,RETROSPECTIVE studies - Abstract
Background: To evaluate the incidence of neck muscle spasm in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients that received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and to analyse the patient- and treatment-related risk factors associated with neck muscle spasm.Methods: A sample of 152 IMRT-treated, biopsy-proven, nondisseminated NPC patients were retrospectively analysed. All had documented IMRT treatment plans and had returned for follow-up review at 4 years post-radiotherapy. Spasm of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle was graded from 0 to 3 (absent to severe) and this grade served as the clinical endpoint. Risk factors were identified using logistic regression analysis.Results: Within 4 years of radiotherapy, neck muscle spasm developed in 23.68% of the patients; Grades 0, 1, 2 and 3 were respectively assigned to 83.55, 7.57, 6.58 and 2.30% of assessed SCMs. Multivariate analysis indicated that gender, N stage, V60 (percentage of SCM volume that received >60 Gy) were independent prognostic variables, and that the optimal threshold for using V60 to predict neck muscle spasm was 61.92% (sensitivity = 0.900, specificity = 0.953).Conclusions: Gender, N stage and V60 were independent predictive factors for post-radiotherapy neck muscle spasm, and a V60 of ≤61.92% in the SCM was relatively safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2017
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