Association between radiotherapy and obstructive sleep apnea in head and neck cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: Our aim was to investigate association between OSA and radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients.

Methods: On 9th of September 2018, we have searched 12 electronic databases to retrieve relevant studies. All eligible studies that assessed association between OSA and radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients were included in our meta-analysis. Quality assessment of included studies was done using the NIH tools for cohort, cross-sectional and case series studies.

Results: Fourteen studies met our study selection criteria, and six studies were eligible for our meta-analysis. There was no significant association between occurrence of OSA and radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients (Odds ratio 1.54, 95% CI [0.66-3.60]; P = 0.322).

Conclusion: These findings point to no significant association between OSA risk and radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. We suggest more studies to be conducted to investigate any confounders that may influence the effect of radiotherapy on development of OSA in head and neck cancer patients.

Keywords: Head and neck cancer; OSA; Obstructive sleep apnea; Radiotherapy.