Benefits of Immunonutrition in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Chemoradiation

Benefits of Immunonutrition in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Chemoradiation: A Phase II Randomized, Double-blind Study

This study evaluated the benefits of immunonutrition regarding the prevention of severe mucositis. Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing definitive concurrent chemoradiation including 3-week cycles of cisplatin were enrolled in this double-blind phase II study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive an immunonutrition containing omega-3-fatty acids, arginine, dietary nucleotides, and soluble fiber or an isocaloric isonitrogenous control. All patients received the assigned product 5 days before each chemotherapy session. The proportion of patients with severe mucositis was compared between the immunonutrition and control groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age of 18-65 years
• histological confirmation of stage II-IVb non-metastatic HNC according to the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging System (AJCC 2010)
• receipt of definitive CCRT
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1
• creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula
• absence of mucositis
• able to tolerate oral feeding

Exclusion Criteria:

• receipt of curative surgery for HNC
• allergies to any component of the immunonutrition