Early nutritional support in non-metastatic stage IV oral cavity cancer patients undergoing adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy: analysis of treatment tolerance and outcome in an area endemic for betel quid chewing

Purpose Non-metastatic stage IV oral cavity cancer patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) are at risk of malnutrition because of postoperative eating problems and CCRT-related complications. A high percentage of betel quid use, which is associated with metabolic disorders, is found in oral cavity cancer patients in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of an early and intensive nutritional support program, comprising individualized counseling, nasogastric tube feeding, and mandatory hospitalization, throughout the CCRT period for such cases in an area where betel quid use is prevalent. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 35 patients with nutritional support (NI) and 23 patients with no specifically designed nutrition program (NC). Results The NI group had better maintenance of body weight ( p