Efficacy of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Containing Protein Supplement in Preventing Weight Loss in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Curative Radiotherapy: Retrospective Observations with Historical Controls

Sanath Kumar Hegde; Suresh Rao; Rhea Katherine D'souza; Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga

doi:10.1007/s12070-023-04217-y

Efficacy of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Containing Protein Supplement in Preventing Weight Loss in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Curative Radiotherapy: Retrospective Observations with Historical Controls

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Feb;76(1):587-595. doi: 10.1007/s12070-023-04217-y. Epub 2023 Sep 21.

Authors

Sanath Kumar Hegde¹, Suresh Rao¹, Rhea Katherine D'souza^{2

3}, Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Mangalore Institute of Oncology, Pumpwell, Mangalore, 575002 Karnataka India.
² Clinical Nutrition, Mangalore Institute of Oncology, Pumpwell, Mangalore, Karnataka 575002 India.
³ Research Unit, Mangalore Institute of Oncology, Pumpwell, Mangalore, Karnataka 575002 India.

PMID: 38440501
PMCID: PMC10909067 (available on 2025-02-01)
DOI: 10.1007/s12070-023-04217-y

Abstract

Weight loss is a major issue in Head and Neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing curative radiotherapy. The principal objective of the study was to observe whether eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) containing protein supplement was effective in mitigating the weight loss during in hospitalized HNC undergoing curative radiotherapy. A retrospective study was performed based on clinical, treatment and nutritional data of 53 patients received EPA containing supplement during their curative radiotherapy from October 2014 to January 2015 and was compared with 88 historical control group of patients (October 2013 to June 2014) who had indigenous protein rich diet planned by the dietician in the period immediately before the implementation of providing EPA containing protein supplement to the patients. The data was stratified based on gender, age, weight, treatment modalities, stage and site of cancer and analysed using unpaired t test. A p value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The results indicate there was no significant difference in the patient tumor and clinical details. The results indicate that the percent change in weight loss was less in the EPA cohorts when calculated from weight (P < 0.006) and Body Mass Index (BMI) perspective (P < 0.003). Detail analysis suggested that beneficial effects were more in males (P < 0.01), people affected with oral cancer (P < 0.02), people below the age of 40 (P < 0.001), and in people with early stage cancer (P < 0.003). Cumulatively all these results suggest that administering EPA containing protein supplement was effective in arresting weight loss in HNC patients undergoing curative radiotherapy.

Keywords: Body mass index (BMI); Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); Head and neck cancer; Radiation.

© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.