A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO DETERMINE RESPONSE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADVANCED HEAD&NECK CANCERS FOLLOWING HYPOFRACTIONATED PALLIATIVE EXTERNAL BEAM RADIOTHERAPY.

Introduction: Squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC) represents the sixth most common malignancy, with 6,50,000 new cases and 3,00,000 HNSCC related deaths reported annually worldwide. HNSCC constitutes approximately 90 percent of all head and neck cancers, and accounted for approximately 3 percent (about 50,000) of all new cancer cases and 2 percent (approximately 12,000) of all cancer deaths in 2010 in the United States. Overall, 57.5% of global head and neck cancers occur in Asia. Aims And Objectives: To Determine Local Control And Quality Of Life in stage III & IV Advanced HNSCC Following Hypo Fractionated Palliative Radiotherapy. To study the response with hypo fractionated external beam radio therapy treatment using RECISTcriteria (version 1.1). Materials And Methods: At the completion of treatment both the primary and the node Response was assessed as per the RECIST 1.1 Response Criteria and Quality of life with QLQ H&N 35 module. Results And Conclusion: At the completion of RT, 32.1% had CR, 50% had PR,14.3% had SD and 3.6% had PD. At 4 weeks of follow-up, 28.6% had CR, 53.6% had PR,14.3% had SD and 3.6% had PD. At 3 months of follow up 17.9% had CR, 60.7% had PR,10.7% had SD and 10.7% had PD. There is a statistically signicant improvement in distressing symptoms like pain, swallowing difculty, opening mouth difculty. This fractionation schedule allowed treatment to be completed in a short overall period with good tolerance and clinically acceptable toxicities