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The impact of delivery daytime and seasonality of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer on toxicity burden
- Source :
- Radiotherapy and Oncology. 158:162-166
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Aim The potential impact of the daytime and season of radiotherapy application on acute and late toxicity burden was analyzed on a cohort of curatively treated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. Methods Through a retrospective chart review, patient and tumor characteristics, treatment parameters and outcome were obtained. Patients treated with definitive or adjuvant radiotherapy with and without chemotherapy receiving ≥60 Gy between 2002 and 2015 were included (n = 617). Daily fraction times and dates were extracted. Median radiotherapy delivery time of each patient was categorized as morning (AM) and afternoon (PM). Treatment season was defined by the median day of the treatment course. Each year was divided into DARK and LIGHT by the March and September equinoxes. Acute (T) and late (A) toxicity were defined by TAME methodology. Results Median follow-up was 51 months. Mean T and A scores during and after radiotherapy in DARK vs. LIGHT were 1.98 vs. 1.61 (p = 0.0127) and 0.41 vs. 0.30 (p = 0.1699), respectively. Mean T and A scores during and after AM vs. PM radiotherapy were 1.71 vs. 1.88 (p = 0.0387) and 0.31 vs. 0.41 (p = 0.2638), respectively. Multivariate analyses indicated DARK vs. LIGHT as the only independent treatment time-related factor among other factors such as tumor subsite, UICC stage, radiotherapy technique, and chemotherapy for T. Conclusion This is the first study investigating the impact of seasonality on toxicity burden, showing higher acute toxicity with radiotherapy in DARK. The daytime did not predict the toxicity. The hypothesis-generating findings of this retrospective study should be further investigated.
- Subjects :
- Oncology
medicine.medical_specialty
medicine.medical_treatment
030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging
610 Medicine & health
Retrospective Studies
Chemotherapy
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
business.industry
Head and neck cancer
Radiotherapy Dosage
Retrospective cohort study
Hematology
medicine.disease
Head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma
Acute toxicity
Radiation therapy
Head and Neck Neoplasms
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Toxicity
Cohort
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 01678140
- Volume :
- 158
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Radiotherapy and Oncology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....6909a7f3906485eecfcab84c97a61eac