Nutritional support in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharyngeal area

Abstract

Up to half of all patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharyngeal area start their treatment when they have malnutrition that results from the primary disease. The main causes of weight loss in oropharyngeal tumors are pain syndrome and dysphagia of various etiologies, which lead to malnutrition and dehydration, as well as intoxication caused by tumor lysis and contamination. This results in impaired metabolic processes, worsening the general condition of patients. During further antitumor therapy, the manifestations of malnutrition are only aggravated, which is due to the high toxicity of chemoradiation therapy and the traumaticity of surgical interventions.

Keywords

• squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharyngeal area
• nutritional support
• enteral nutrition
• body mass index