neck cancers

One of the side effects of radiation therapy for non-laryngeal head and neck cancers is laryngeal damage, leading to vocal disorders. Considering the impact of voice on the patient’s quality of life, the long-term follow-up after treatment using a voice handicap index questionnaire is the aim of this study.

This descriptive-analytical study included 30 patients with non-laryngeal head and neck cancers and 30 normal individuals. Specialized examinations have confirmed damage in the larynx. The VHI Questionnaire sub-group scores were assessed at 6 and 24 months post-treatment, along with the voice quality of patients and a control group at 24 months post-treatment. Pearson's correlation coefficient test was used to assess the relationship between each sub-group of the questionnaire at the two mentioned time points.

The patients' examination results revealed a significant decrease in the total questionnaire scores from 19.8 at 6 months to 11.37 at 24 months post-treatment (P < 0.05). The study found no significant difference between the patient and control groups after 24 months (P < 0.05). The questionnaire sub-group scores showed a negative correlation, indicating a trend of decreasing scores at the final follow-up.

This study showed that after the treatment, the radiation damage decreased over time and improved the patient's quality of life.

Head and Neck cancers remain a significant problem due to their high morbidity and mortality and in most cases, require regional lymph nodes radiotherapy treatment. This work aims to evaluate and compare two methods of Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) and Helical Tomotherapy (HT) based on treatment planning and selection of the most appropriate method to reduce side effects.

In this study, 20 patients with head and neck cancers were considered for treatment in the radiotherapy department of Seyed Alshohada Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. Two methods of HT and 3D-CRT were done using a 6 MeV photon energy apparatus and specific treatment planning algorithms. The dose-volume distribution curve (DVH), the dosimetric variables of the target organ, the radiation delivery efficiency, and the organs at risk were determined and results were compared with each other.

In HT the dose received by %95 planning target volume (PTV) and value doses of %2 and %98 showed significant improvement over 3D-CRT. For all studied organs at risk (OARs), the decrease in Dmax of HT was significant compared to 3-DCRT.

Helical tomotherapy enhances the target volume coverage and offers a good dose distribution. HT compared to 3D-CRT is a desirable method in treating head and neck cancer patients with the involvement of regional lymph nodes.

Chemotherapy is utilized as a part of combined-modality programs to achieve organ preservation and improve survival in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Combined-modality protocols can be used in three forms: a) neoadjuvant induction chemotherapy before definitive surgery or radiotherapy; b) concomitant chemoradiotherapy; and c) sequential therapy consisting of induction chemotherapy and chemoradiation. The aim of this article was to study the role of these methods in treatment of locoregionally advanced head and neck cancers. An extensive search was performed on PubMed using five key phrases of head and neck، carcinoma، neoadjuvant chemotherapy، induction chemotherapy، and adjuvant chemotherapy. The search results were limited to randomized trials and meta-analysis. Despite an improvement in organ preservation، induction treatment has no impact on survival. Chemoradiation provides higher survival and increased rate of organ preservation compared to radiation alone. Ongoing phase III comparisons of sequential therapy with chemoradiotherapy may help identify the superior approach. Although further studies in this field are required، taxane-based sequential therapy can be currently used as a reasonable alternative to chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancers.

With more than 12 million new cases of cancers and nearly 7.6 million deaths all around the world in 2007, cancer currently is the third leading cause of death in the world. This study was conducted to determine medical and non-medical direct costs of cancer patients’ hospitalized in the cancer institute affiliated with Imam Khomeini hospital. This was a cross-sectional study. All patients over 18 years old with kind of head, neck, and stomach cancers that undertaken of oncology treatments in the cancer institute which affiliated” Imam Khomeini Hospital”. Initially eligible patients invited to participate in this study. The data was collected through structured interviews with patients and or their carers. The data,then, was analyzed by SPSS software. The average medical and non-medical direct out-of-pocket costs during primary treatment were 2,609,000 and 245,000 Tomans per patient, respectively. Furthermore, the direct average of medical costs for patients who lived in Tehran and other cities were 3,313,000 and 1,870,000 Tomans;while the direct average of non-medical costs for patients who lived in Tehran and other cities were 136,000 and 360,000 Tomans, respectively. The new policies for costs coverage related to cancer patients’, particularly the medical insurance organizations, financial supports from finance intuits like as banks or charity organizations,appropriate distribution of cancer’s centers or providing accommodation to cancer patients who are referred from the remote sites in other cities, and also achieving the equities in health sectors could be reduced the financial costs of cancer patients and might be helped them to manage of cancersefficiently and effectively.