A BSTRACT Purpose: External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is crucial for palliative treatment of locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer patients unsuitable for curative treatment. This study evaluates a novel hypofractionated EBRT regimen for these patients. Material and Methods: The study included 46 patients with Stage IVa, IVb, and IVc histopathologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, treated between September 2022 and September 2023. Patients received EBRT of 30.5 Gray in 5 fractions, one fraction per week for 5 weeks, after informed consent. Toxicity and symptom relief were monitored weekly during treatment and monthly post-treatment. Tumor response was assessed using RECIST v1.1 Criteria after EBRT completion. Results: Among the 46 patients, 12 (26%) had Stage IVA, 26 (56.5%) Stage IVB, and 8 (17.3%) Stage IVC. The most common symptoms were pain (78.2%), dysphagia (65.2%), and neck swelling (30.4%). All patients completed the planned treatment. Grade II and III toxicities included mucositis (43.5% and 26%) and dermatitis (52.5% and 13%), with Grade IV mucositis in 4.3% of patients. Pain reduction was observed in 83% of patients. At treatment completion, 52.1% had a partial response, 34.7% had stable disease, and 13% had progressive disease. Conclusion: Present radiotherapy regimens have comparable clinical outcomes and toxicities to other palliative fractionation schedules and offer convenient and cost-effective alternatives for elderly patients and patients with comorbidities, who may find frequent visits for treatment challenging.
Naik et al. (Tue,) studied this question.