Objective To identify differences in quality of life between patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer following traditional opposed port chemoradiation (CRT) vs. chemotherapy with intensity modulated radiation therapy (CIMRT). Methods A cohort study from academic tertiary referral center was performed. 50 patients were identified from an institutional database of patients who had undergone primary chemotherapy and radiation (traditional or IMRT) for advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma. Patients responded via mail using the University of Washington quality of life instrument version 4 (UW-QOLv4). Data was analyzed using chi-square and Wilcoxon tests. Results 17 CRT patients responded (57%), and 14 CI-MRT patients responded (70%). Patients completed the survey between 9 and 44 months following end of treatment. When adjusted for tumor stage and time since treatment, CIMRT patients reported improved appearance (p = 0.05), chewing (p = 0.02), and mood (p = 0.01). There was a trend toward significance for improved activity (p = 0.07), recreation (p = 0.07), and anxiety (p = 0.08). There were no differences between the 2 groups for saliva, taste, shoulder function, speech, and swallowing. There was a trend for significance for improved overall quality of life in patients who had undergone CIMRT (p = 0.06). Conclusions Many patients with advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma are being treated with primary chemoradiation. CIMRT results in improved quality of life for some domains but surprisingly not for swallowing or saliva. Patients undergoing CIMRT also report slightly better quality of life overall when compared to patients receiving more traditional forms of radiation therapy.
Emotional Quality of Life After Radiation Therapy for Oropharyngeal Carcinoma
