Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer

Posted on July 11, 2015 Updated on July 11, 2015

Complication of radiotherapy:

Early

1. Skin – erythema, desquamation
2. Mucosa – mucositis, dry mucosa
3. Candidiasis
4. Loss of appetite, nausea, vomitting ( Radiation sickness )
5. Laryngeal edema
6. Haematopoietic suppression

Late

1. Skin – atrophy, fibrosis of subcutaneous tissue
2. Xerostomia
3. Eye – retinopathy, cataract
4. Teeth – decay, osteoradionecrosis
5. Trismus ( fibrosis of TMJ and muscles of mastication)
6. Endocrine deficit – thyroid, pituitary
7. Transverse myelitis
8. Radiation induced malignancy – thyroid cancer, osteosarcoma

Why patients undergoing Radiotherapy need to have Hemoglobin level above 10g/dl? 

• Low Hb —> low oxygen carrying capacity —> low oxygen —> less radiation-induced cytotoxic free radicals to kill the tumour cells
• Free radicals formation: O2  ——> O+ + O+

H2O ——> O+ + OH-

Is inappropiately high Hb good for radiotherapy?

• No. Increased blood viscosity —-> reduces tumour cell perfusion —–> less free radicals to kill the tumour cells