Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Xerostomia and Quality of Life during Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: A Prospective Pilot Study

Table 3

Acute radiotherapy-induced toxicity.

Symptom	Change from baseline	Visit 4					Visit 7					Total RT dose (Gray, mean SD)
		Inpatients		Outpatients			Inpatients		Outpatients			Inpatients	Outpatients
			(%)		(%)			(%)		(%)
Dermatitis	No/mild change	29	(96.7)	37	(80.4)	0.078	15	(50)	16	(34.8)	0.235	70.47 ± 3.44	69.30 ± 2.12	0.105
	Moderate/severe change	1	(3.3)	9	(19.6)		15	(50)	30	(65.2)
	Total	30		46			30		46
Mucositis	No/mild change	19	(65.5)	25	(59.5)	0.63	12	(41.4)	16	(37.2)	0.807	70.48 ± 3.50	69.21 ± 2.14	0.087
	Moderate/severe change	10	(34.5)	17	(40.5)		17	(58.6)	27	(62.8)
	Total	29		42			29		43
Xerostomia	No/mild change	12	(44.4)	8	(19)		8	(29.6)	4	(9.5)		70.52 ± 3.63	69.19 ± 2.17	0.095
	Moderate/severe change	15	(55.6)	34	(81)		19	(70.4)	38	(90.5)
	Total	27		42			27		42
Pharyngitis	No/mild change	17	(60.7)	15	(34.9)	0.0504	8	(28.6)	7	(16.3)	0.245	70.50 ± 3.56	69.21 ± 2.14	0.093
	Moderate/severe change	11	(39.3)	28	(65.1)		20	(71.4)	36	(83.7)
	Total	28		43			28		43

Radiation toxicities were measured according to the RTOG acute radiation morbidity scoring criteria. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare differences for distribution of severity for each post-RT finding between groups at visit 4 and visit 7. The number of patients with no or mild changes during the first week of RT (grade 0/1 at visit 1) was selected as the baseline for comparison. Grade 0/1 indicates no/mild change and grade 2/3 indicates moderate/severe change at visit 4 and visit 7 compared with baseline. There was no significant difference in radiation doses between groups for patients involved in the analysis. There was an inconsistency of patient numbers in the assessment of mucositis because of missing data. Inpatients (TCM group) had a lower proportion of moderate/severe change in severity of xerostomia compared with outpatients (control group) ( and 0.0495, resp.).
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