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Iyizoba-Ebozue Z, Prestwich R, Brown S, Hall E, Lilley J, Lowe M, Thomson DJ, Slevin F, Boele F, Murray L. Neurocognitive function following (chemo)radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer and other head and neck cancers: A systematic review. Radiother Oncol 2023; 188:109863. [PMID: 37619657 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2023.109863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
When radiotherapy is used in the treatment of head and neck cancers, the brain commonly receives incidental doses of radiotherapy with potential for neurocognitive changes and subsequent impact on quality of life. This has not been widely investigated to date. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Psycinfo Info and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) electronic databases was conducted. Of 2077 records screened, 20 were eligible comprising 1308 patients. There were no randomised studies and 73.3% of included patients were from single center studies. IMRT was delivered in 72.6% of patients, and chemotherapy used in 61%. There was considerable heterogeneity in methods. Narrative synthesis was therefore carried out. Most studies demonstrated inferior neurocognitive outcomes when compared to control groups at 12 months and beyond radiotherapy. Commonly affected neurocognitive domains were memory and language which appeared related to radiation dose to hippocampus, temporal lobe, and cerebellum. Magnetic Resonance Imaging could be valuable in the detection of early microstructural and functional changes, which could be indicative of future neurocognitive changes. In studies investigating quality of life, the presence of neurocognitive impairment was associated with inferior quality of life outcomes. (Chemo)radiotherapy for head and neck cancer appears to be associated with a risk of long-term neurocognitive impairment. Few studies were identified, with substantial variation in methodology, thus limiting conclusions. High quality large prospective head and neck cancer studies using standardised, sensitive, and reliable neurocognitive tests are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robin Prestwich
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Sarah Brown
- Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research
| | - Emma Hall
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - John Lilley
- Department of Radiotherapy Physics, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Matthew Lowe
- Department of Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - David J Thomson
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Finbar Slevin
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK; Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Florien Boele
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Louise Murray
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK; Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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Neurocognitive function in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing primary or adjuvant chemoradiation treatment. Support Care Cancer 2016; 24:4433-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s00520-016-3284-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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