Radiation induced toxicity
Radiation therapy causes acute and late toxicities that affect various organs and functions. One of the most common acute toxicities that occurs as an injury of the mucosa of the head and neck area due to irradiation is mucositis. In the case of late toxicity, the most common characteristic is xerostomia where the considerable reduction of saliva leads to persistent dryness of mouth, oral discomfort, sore throat, dental decay, difficulty in speech, taste alteration, and impairment of chewing and swallowing functions which can lead to nutritional depletion and weight loss 1) 2) 3) 4).
1)
Langendijk JA, Doornaert P, Verdonck-de Leeuw IM, Leemans CR, Aaronson NK, Slotman BJ. Impact of late treatment-related toxicity on quality of life among patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2008;26(22):3770–3776.
2)
De Graeff A, De Leeuw JRJ, Ros WJG, Hordijk GJ, Blijham GH, Winnubst JAM. A prospective study on quality of life of patients with cancer of the oral cavity or oropharynx treated with surgery with or without radiotherapy. Oral Oncology. 1999;35(1):27–32.
3)
Hammerlid E, Taft C. Health-related quality of life in long-term head and neck cancer survivors: a comparison with general population norms. British Journal of Cancer. 2001;84(2):149–156.
4)
Hammerlid E, Silander E, Hörnestam L, et al. Health-related quality of life three years after diagnosis of head and neck cancer—a longitudinal study. Head and Neck. 2001;23(2):113–125.