Growth disruption following head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma treatment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long-term effects following treatment for head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma. Is there a difference between treatment modalities?
IRAS ID
244480
Contact name
Olga/O Slater
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and The UCL Insitute of Child Health
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 29 days
Research summary
Long-term effects following treatment for head and neck sarcomas, is there a difference between treatment options?
The most common soft tissue cancer in children is rhabdomyosarcoma, constituting 3-5% of all malignancies (cancerous tumours) in childhood. 40% of rhabdomyosarcoma are located in the head and neck area. Survival in children with this disease has improved substantially over recent decades with a current 5-year overall survival rate of 79-97%.
There are currently 4 different options for local therapy for rhabdomyosarcoma, all of which have very similar survival rates, but there might be differences in late adverse effects. At this moment choice of therapy is based on the experience of the doctor. Decision-making tools for patient-tailored local treatment strategies with minimal long-term effects are thus urgently warranted.
The aim of this study is to investigate the late adverse effects in patients treated with the different treatment modalities.
In the head and neck area, the position and aggressive nature of the rhabdomyosarcoma makes complete surgical removal of the tumour difficult. Therefore extra treatment with radiotherapy (therapy that uses high energy rays, usually x-rays to destroy cancer cells)is used. This local treatment causes debilitating, unpleasant (adverse) long-term effects in the majority of patients. The most common long-term effects are abnormal growth of the facial bones or lopsided face occurring in 60% of survivors. Other frequent problems include; eye impairment, speech difficulties and hearing loss (40% of patients), hormone disorders, and abnormal development of teeth. Prevention of long-term side effects remains a major challenge since they have a strong lifelong impact on physical and psychosocial health. Apart from direct burden for the patient, treatment-induced adverse (unpleasant)effects are associated with substantial additional health care costs, such as a need for plastic reconstructive surgery for facial problems, therapy with growth hormone, hearing aids, etc.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1699
Date of REC Opinion
19 Feb 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion