ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S999

Clinical – Head & neck

ESTRO 2025

Conclusion: The sensation of a dry mouth (xerostomia) partially recovers within 12 months after treatment. In contrast, no such improvement was seen for consequential QoL sequelae resulting from hyposalivation such as slow eating and food sticking in throat but also poor sleeping and tiredness. This discrepancy may be explained by coping and habituation to a dry mouth over time. Nonetheless, the general burden remained significantly worse in patients with moderate-severe xerostomia at 3 months during the whole 2-year follow-up (Figure 2).

Keywords: quality of life, xerostomia, head and neck cancer

References: [1] van den Bosch S, Dijkema T, Kunze-Busch MC, et al. Uniform FDG-PET guided GRAdient Dose prEscription to reduce late Radiation Toxicity (UPGRADE-RT): study protocol for a randomized clinical trial with dose reduction to the elective neck in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Cancer. 2017 Mar 21;17(1):208.