Background and purpose: Concomitant radio-chemotherapy is the gold standard treatment for unresectable head and neck carcinomas. Placement of prophylactic gastrostomy has been proposed to provide adequate nutrition during the therapeutic sequence. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of prophylactic gastrostomy on the 6-month quality of life, and to determine the factors related to this quality of life.
Materials and methods: Design. randomized, controlled, open study ("systematic percutaneous gastrostomy" versus "no systematic gastrostomy"). Patients. squamous cell head and neck carcinoma (stages III and IV, UICC 1997). Setting. oncological departments of French university teaching hospitals. Treatment. optimal concomitant radio-chemotherapy. Evaluations. T0 baseline evaluation, T1 during the treatment, T2 end of the treatment, and T3 6-month post-inclusion. Primary endpoint. 6-month quality of life (Qol) assessed using SF36, EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ H&N35 questionnaires.
Results: The Qol changes from baseline included a decline (T1 and T2) followed by an improvement (T3). Qol at 6 months was significantly higher in the group receiving systematic prophylactic gastrostomy (p=10(-3)). Higher initial BMI and lower initial Karnofsky index were significant factors related to a higher 6-month Qol.
Conclusions: The study results suggest that prophylactic gastrostomy improves post-treatment quality of life for unresectable head and neck cancer patients, after adjusting for other potential predictive quality of life factors.