Enteral Omega 3 During Radiotherapy to Improve the Quality of Life and Functionality of Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Health-related Quality of Life (QoL) is a multidimensional construct that allows us to know the patient's perception of well-being, and how this perception is related to their illness and treatment. In clinical research, especially clinical trials, the QoL measurement has become an important element to evaluate. In patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), low QoL is associated with Malnutrition (MN), and Cancer Cachexia (CC) is a principal component in its multifactorial etiology. The exacerbated hypercatabolic state of CC is caused by the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), and other catabolic mediators. The clinical manifestation of CC is a continuous decrease in muscle mass (with or without loss of fat mass), which is not entirely reversible with nutritional support and which leads to the functional deterioration of patients. Due to CC, the patients with HNSCC who receive total enteral nutritional support have difficulties in maintaining an optimal nutritional status, and this situation is more frequent during RadioTherapy (RT). An immune-modulator nutrient, Omega-3 fatty acids (O3) have shown efficacy in improving the nutritional and inflammatory parameters of patients with HNSCC; however, little is known about their impact on patients' QoL and Functionality (Fx). Therefore, this clinical trial is proposed to provide information about the usefulness of O3 for improving the Fx and QoL of patients with HNSCC receiving total enteral nutrition during RT.