Dental status and doses in head and neck cancer patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Dental status, radiotherapy doses and subsequent implications in head and neck cancer patients - A retrospective cohort study
IRAS ID
264999
Contact name
Vinod Patel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
GSTT
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
Some patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are treated by radiotherapy (RT). One of the main side-effects of treatment is death of jaw bone (osteoradionecrosis, ORN). ORN cause swelling and infection which can spread through the jaw leading to eventual fracture. It has a significant bearing on quality of life and patients can quickly deteriorate from this complication having been cured of their cancer.
To avoid ORN, removal of numerous teeth is often carried out prior RT. However, which teeth to remove are not standardised with no international agreement on this invasive procedure. ORN is a multi-factorial disease however the intricacies are poorly understood. Improvement can only be achieved when the dental specialty understand this cohort better. Additionally, in the past 10 years the UK has moved to a novel radiotherapy technique called intensity modulated RT (IMRT). The impact of this on teeth is not known. Now that IMRT has been used for over a decade there is invaluable retrospective information, which needs to be analysed so that the dental sector can understand and learn how best to manage these vulnerable patients.
The aim of this research project is three fold. Firstly, to assess the dental status of HNC patients and to understand the varying difference between them by reviewing past dental x rays. Secondly, to assess the radiotherapy doses they around the teeth by reviewing their past radiotherapy dose scans. Finally, to understand what additional risk factors beyond the teeth and radiotherapy doses lead to ORN including the impact of social deprivation.
This is a single centre study conducted at GSTFT. Retrospective data on HNC patients seen between 01/03//2011 and 31/12/2018 will be included in the analysis. This project does not involve direct patient contact. All patients have completed treatment. There will be no change or impact to the treatment they have undergone. No patients are required to actively participate.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EE/0224
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion