Effect of Oral Supplements on the Nutritional Status of Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients

Malnutrition is very common in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) patients undergoing current chemoradiotherapy (CRT) due to dysphagia, mucositis, nausea and other treatment-related problems. Malnutrition is associated with lower physical functioning, lower immune status, more severe (grade III/IV) late RT-induced toxicities, treatment interruption of chemo(radio)therapy, lower chemotherapy response rates, hospital readmission, impaired quality of life (QoL), and increased mortality. Although the international guidelines recommend early nutritional support in the presence of nutritional risk, the best type of nutritional intervention is still unclear. Individualized dietary counseling showed beneficial effects in nutritional intake, nutritional status and QoL in head and neck cancer patients undergoing RT or CRT-treatment; oral nutritional supplements (ONS) was most acceptable in Chinese NPC patients. Previous nutritional intervention trials in head-neck cancer patients have been conducted on small samples and did not clarify the role of oral nutritional supplements (ONS). Accordingly, although current guidelines recommend as grade A the use of ONS associated with dietary counseling for head-neck cancer patients undergoing RT, the efficacy of this nutritional intervention still needs to be evaluated in adequately sized and randomized clinical trials for Chinese NPC patients.