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- Title
Cytokines levels, Severity of acute mucositis and the need of PEG tube installation during chemo-radiation for head and neck cancer -a prospective pilot study.
- Authors
Meirovitz, Amichay; Kuten, Michal; Billan, Salem; Abdah-Bortnyak, Roxolyana; Sharon, Anat; Peretz, Tamar; Sela, Mordechai; Schaffer, Moshe; Barak, Vivian
- Abstract
Background: The purpose of this pilot study was to detect a correlation between serum cytokine levels and severity of mucositis, necessitating installation of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients receiving combined chemo-radiation therapy. Patients and Methods: Fifteen patients with H&N epithelial cancer were recruited to this study. All patients received radiotherapy to the H&N region, with doses ranging from 50-70 Gy. Chemotherapy with cisplatin, carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil and taxanes was given to high-risk patients, using standard chemotherapy protocols. Patients were evaluated for mucositis according to WHO common toxicity criteria, and blood samples were drawn for inflammatory (IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine levels before and during treatment. Results: A positive correlation was found between IL-6 serum levels and severity of mucositis and dysphagia; specifically, high IL-6 levels at week 2 were correlated with a need for PEG tube installation. A seemingly contradictory correlation was found between low IL-8 serum levels and a need for a PEG tube. Conclusion: These preliminary results, indicating a correlation between IL-6 and IL-8 serum levels and severity of mucositis and a need for a PEG tube installation, justify a large scale study.
- Subjects
HEAD &; neck cancer treatment; CANCER chemotherapy; CANCER radiotherapy; CYTOKINES; CANCER patients
- Publication
Radiation Oncology, 2010, Vol 5, p16
- ISSN
1748-717X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/1748-717X-5-16