KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to compare OSA occurrence between head and neck tumor patients and the general population and evaluate treatment effects.
- Patients often experienced OSA, exacerbated by tumor treatment, particularly in advanced stages undergoing primary chemoradiation. Additional research is needed.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common, especially in individuals with head and neck cancer, leading to reduced quality of life (QoL), increased daytime sleepiness, and health issues if untreated.
Olaf Gil and his team spearheaded the study that aimed to compare OSA occurrence between head and neck tumor patients and the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) cohort, assessing treatment impact.
The study involved conducting preoperative polysomnography on 47 patients diagnosed with histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma in the oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx between July 2018 and December 2021. Subsequently, follow-up polysomnography was performed on 23 patients 2-11 months after completing treatment. The collected data were then correlated with tumor treatment and tumor size.
Among the patients included, 43 were male and 4 were female, aged between 54 and 90 years. Pretherapeutic assessment revealed no notable difference in the occurrence of a pathologically elevated apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) compared to the SHIP Trend cohort.
However, post-treatment follow-up demonstrated a significant worsening in AHI. Initially, 70% of patients had an AHI > 5; following therapy, this rose to 87% (P= 0.008). This effect was particularly evident in patients with advanced tumor stages who underwent primary chemoradiation.
The study concluded that OSA was a relevant condition in head and neck cancer patients. Tumor treatment could lead to an increased prevalence of sleep-related breathing disorders, especially in patients with advanced tumor stages undergoing primary chemoradiation. Additional studies were deemed necessary to understand the exact mechanism involved.
The Mini Screen Plus 4 polygraphy devices utilized in this study were supplied by the Löwenstein Company.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38399597/
Gil O, Fenske B, Bremert T, et al. (2024) ‘’Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients before and after Treatment. Medicina.‘’2024; 60(2):310. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60020310
