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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Aged, Body Mass Index, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Denmark, Female, Head and Neck Neoplasms, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Nutritional Support, Odds Ratio, Retrospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, Weight Loss.
user
Is prediction of critical weight loss during radiation treatment in head and neck cancer patients dependent on BMI? Context: The aims of the present study were to explore pre-treatment predictors of weight loss during radiation treatment only in head and neck cancer (HNSCC) patients and investigate the weight loss in patients with or without a feeding tube. Retrospectively, weight change during curative radiotherapy was investigated in 476 consecutive HNSCC patients. Independent predictors were identified using multivariate regression analysis with weight loss below or above 5 % as the primary dependent variable. Baseline BMI, tumor site, and stage predicted weight loss above 5 %. The odds of weight loss above 5 % in patients with BMI >25 were 3.00 ± 0.64 times higher compared with patients with BMI <25 (p < 0.0001). Patients with pharyngeal, oral cavity, or supraglottic tumors had 3.12 ± 0.80 times higher odds of weight loss above 5 % compared with glottic cancer patients (p < 0.0001), and the odds were 1.68 ± 0.40 times higher in stage III-IV patients compared with stage I-II patients (p = 0.03). Seperate analyses revealed that tumor site and stage only predicted weight loss in patients with BMI >25 but not in patients with BMI <25. Patients receiving a feeding tube weighed less than patients without (73.8 vs 78.3 kg) and feeding tube reduced, but did not prevent, weight loss which averaged 6.7 ± 4.7 kg (7.4 ± 4.7 %) compared with 4.7 ± 5.9 kg (5.5 ± 6.0 %) in patients without a feeding tube (P < 0.0001).
assistant
Pre-treatment BMI, tumor site and stage predicted weight loss above 5 % in HNSCC patients during radiotherapy. BMI should be considered when analyzing weight loss in HNSCC patients receiving curative radiotherapy. Final Decision: yes