TY - JOUR
T1 - How to reduce radiation-related toxicity in patients with cancer of the head and neck
AU - Garden, Adam S.
AU - Lewin, Jan S
AU - Chambers, Mark S.
PY - 2006/3
Y1 - 2006/3
N2 - Radiation for head and neck cancers is often curative, but high doses are used. Normal tissues, including mucosa salivary glands, and muscles, are exposed to these high doses, resulting in severe mucositis, xerostomia, and dysphagia. Efforts to minimize toxicity have involved advances in radiation physics and development of pharmacologic agents. Radiation techniques include conformal and intensity-modulated therapy, which minimizes dose to normal tissues while delivering high doses to tumor targets. Drugs used to prevent mucositis have tareeted infection, but recently Interest has been shown in the use of growth factors. Cholinergic agonists and cytoprotective agents, specifically amifostine, can address xerostomia. Involvement of speech pathologists in evaluation and treatment of patients with dysphagia can minimize swallowing difficulties and identify the tissues most responsible for swallowing. Minimizing radiation dose to these tissues may lower the incidence of radiation-induced dysphagia.
AB - Radiation for head and neck cancers is often curative, but high doses are used. Normal tissues, including mucosa salivary glands, and muscles, are exposed to these high doses, resulting in severe mucositis, xerostomia, and dysphagia. Efforts to minimize toxicity have involved advances in radiation physics and development of pharmacologic agents. Radiation techniques include conformal and intensity-modulated therapy, which minimizes dose to normal tissues while delivering high doses to tumor targets. Drugs used to prevent mucositis have tareeted infection, but recently Interest has been shown in the use of growth factors. Cholinergic agonists and cytoprotective agents, specifically amifostine, can address xerostomia. Involvement of speech pathologists in evaluation and treatment of patients with dysphagia can minimize swallowing difficulties and identify the tissues most responsible for swallowing. Minimizing radiation dose to these tissues may lower the incidence of radiation-induced dysphagia.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11912-006-0049-x
DO - 10.1007/s11912-006-0049-x
M3 - Review article
C2 - 16507224
AN - SCOPUS:33645547910
SN - 1523-3790
VL - 8
SP - 140
EP - 145
JO - Current oncology reports
JF - Current oncology reports
IS - 2
ER -