PARSPORT (parotid-sparing intensity modulated versus conventional radiotherapy in head and neck cancer) UK Trial Results

A recent publication in Lancet Oncology has confirmed that IMRT, if used carefully, can reduce the unpleasant symptoms of dry mouth after curative radiotherapy for cancers arising in the mouth and throat regions. This is because IMRT is a form of x-ray treatment where radiation dose can be selectively reduced to an organ of interest, in this case the salivary glands, which produce most of our saliva flow. 47 patients were treated with conventional radiotherapy and 47 with IMRT. The only adverse effect with IMRT was that patient fatigue was more sever during treatment; this is understandable because the dose taken away from the parotid gland has then to be delivered to a wider range of tissues, albeit at a far lower dose. This is a promising result which confirms work already done in the USA and elsewhere, but in the context of a properly conducted randomised trial. The follow-up time is short (24 months), so it is important that these patients are monitored closely to see if they develop unexpected side effects from the other tissues in the head and neck region. At the present time, the availability of IMRT in the UK is increasing.

C. M. Nutting et al., “Parotid-sparing intensity modulated versus conventional radiotherapy in head and neck cancer (PARSPORT): a phase 3 multicentre randomised controlled trial.,” The Lancet Oncology, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 127-36, Feb. 2011.