Incidence of RT-Induced Otitis Media With Effusion Examined in Head and Neck Cancer
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 7, 2025 -- For patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), the incidence of radiotherapy-induced otitis media with effusion (RTOME) is associated with cancer type and radiation exposure to specific regions, according to a study published online March 29 in the Ear, Nose & Throat Journal.
Zhijin Han, from the Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 1,046 patients with HNC who underwent radiotherapy between 2016 and 2023. The incidence of RTOME was examined across cancer types, and radiation exposure probabilities of different head and neck regions were compared for patients with and without RTOME.
The researchers found that the overall incidence of RTOME was 5.83 percent in patients with HNC. There was significant variation in incidence by cancer type, with the highest rate for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, followed by ocular and orbital cancers, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer, oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers, and thyroid cancers (17.40, 6.25, 4.35, 4.32, 0.32, and 0 percent, respectively). Significantly higher radiation exposure frequencies were exhibited by patients with versus those without RTOME in five anatomic regions: the skull base and intracranial, parotid and periauricular, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, nasopharynx, and parapharyngeal space.
"These findings have important clinical implications for radiotherapy planning and patient management," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Adding Pembrolizumab to Standard Care Ups Event-Free Survival in Head, Neck Cancer
FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- For patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the addition of neoadjuvant and adjuvant pembrolizumab to standard care...
Telehealth Intervention Beneficial for Seniors With Metastatic Cancer
WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2025 -- The telehealth-administered Geriatric Assessment–Guided Intervention (GAIN-S) improves physical function, mood, quality of life, and prognostic...
Incidence Rates of Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma Increasing
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- The incidence rates of appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA) increased after 1945, according to a study published online June 10 in the Annals of Internal...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.