Reduction of radiotherapy dose in health tissue using the intraoral stent in patients submitted to head and neck radiotherapy

• Grant number: 12/15935-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Fábio de Abreu Alves
• Grantee: Fábio de Abreu Alves
• Host Institution: A C Camargo Cancer Center. Fundação Antonio Prudente (FAP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The intraoral-stent is a mouth-opening device which may be used during oral cancer radiotherapy (RT) with the intention of decreasing unnecessary irradiation in normal adjacent tissue. However, only few studies have reported the use this device up to now. To evaluate the impact of the intraoral-stent in order to spare normal adjacent tissue from the radiation dose and prevent oral complications. This prospective clinical trial was designed to evaluate 50 patients with oral and oropharynx cancer underwent to RT, divided into two groups: Three-dimensional radiotherapy (n=25 patients) and Intensity modulated radiation therapy (n=25 patients). All patients will be submitted to a CT scan for RT planning treatment with and without the intraoral stent. Dosimetric analysis in the maxilla, mandible, parotid and submandibular salivary glands, will be assessed using dose-volume histogram (DVH). The patients will be evaluated weekly from baseline to 1 month after completion of RT and all oral complications (mucositis, xerostomia, hyposalivation, candisosis and loss of taste) assessed. Results: The exact radiation dose distribution in the target volume and in adjacent normal tissues will be evaluated in order to establish the real benefit of intraoral-stent in the prevention of oral complications as well as to correlate the use of this dispositive with the type of RT. (AU)