Definitive radiotherapy and trismus in HNC patients: A critical review

Abstract

Introduction: Trismus is a potentially critical morbidity following curative-intended radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. However, in this setting, evidence regarding this side effect remains to be fully defined, particularly in terms of dosimetric parameters.

Materials and methods: Key references were derived from a PubMed query. Hand searching and clinicaltrials.gov were also used.

Results: This paper contains a narrative report and a critical discussion of the evidence on radiation-induced trismus in the literature, particularly the dosimetric concerns.

Conclusions: The treatment goal should be to maintain high cure rates and limit the onset of complications. Further evaluations of dosimetric measures and clinical outcomes are warranted to identify patients at higher risk to target treatment tailoring.

Keywords: HNC; Head&Neck Cancer; IMRT; Modern Radiotherapy; Quality of Life; Radiation Toxicity; Trismus.