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Early percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and nutritional supplementation for patients with head and neck cancer: an Italian survey of head and neck radiation oncologists.
- Source :
- Supportive Care in Cancer; Dec2015, Vol. 23 Issue 12, p3539-3543, 5p
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- <bold>Purpose: </bold>The aim of this paper is to survey among Italian radiation oncologists about the role of nutritional supplementation and an early placement of endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy.<bold>Methods: </bold>The survey was carried out in 106 Italian centers of radiation oncology through a SurveyMonkey online interface questionnaire.<bold>Results: </bold>The response rate to the survey was of 63%, with 67 analyzable questionnaires. The majority of the respondents do not use preventive nutritional supplement. In 73.1% of the cases, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is positioned only in case of necessity. The 82.1% of the interviewed physicians, indeed, argued that the preventive placement of the endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy should not be a standard procedure. Nutritional counseling before starting a treatment is not a routine, but 88.1% of the respondents stated that this should represent a standard procedure.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Although some studies agree that a reactive approach should be preferred to an early endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy placement, firm evidences and a clear consensus are still lacking. This survey shows a wide agreement about both timing and criteria for endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy placement; however, the management of nutritional supplementation in head and neck cancer patients appears to be still widely variable and to deserve more focused studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- PERCUTANEOUS endoscopic gastrostomy
DIETARY supplements
HEAD & neck cancer patients
CANCER radiotherapy
ONCOLOGISTS
CANCER chemotherapy
COUNSELING
ENTERAL feeding
GASTROSTOMY
HEAD tumors
NECK tumors
ONCOLOGY
PHYSICIANS
RADIOTHERAPY
EARLY medical intervention
ENDOSCOPIC gastrointestinal surgery
TUMOR treatment
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09414355
- Volume :
- 23
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Supportive Care in Cancer
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 110591189
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2729-2