EVALUATION OF DAMAGE IN SALIVARY GLANDS OF PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER BY IMRT: A LITERATURE REVIEW

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1593542319071

• Palavras-chave: Head and neck cancer. Salivary gland. Intensity modulated radiotherapy.

• Keywords: Head and neck cancer. Salivary gland. Intensity modulated radiotherapy.

• Abstract:

  Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) has been the radiotherapy modality of choice for the treatment of cancer patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Significant side effects for head and neck treatment are still unavoidable due to the proximity of risk organs to the target volume. This study aims to evaluate the damage caused by irradiation to the salivary glands in patients with HNC undergoing IMRT. The methodology applied for the development consisted of an electronic search performed in the MEDLINE database to identify relevant studies published in the last five years (2017-2022). The search strategy resulted in 17 scientific documents related to the following MeSH terms: head and neck neoplasms, salivary gland and intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Based on this sample, after predetermined selection criteria, five studies were selected and reviewed, evaluating a total of 513 patients. Two selected studies reported that comprehensive protection of the salivary glands reduced xerostomia without compromising locoregional control. In another study, it was evaluated that the volumetric shrinkage of the submandibular gland persisted after radiotherapy. It was concluded that reduced salivary gland function is still a common side effect, even in times of IMRT, however restricting the average doses to be as low as possible significantly improves xerostomia.