Quality of life, HPV-status and phase angle predict survival in head and neck cancer patients under (chemo)radiotherapy undergoing nutritional intervention: Results from the prospective randomized HEADNUT-trial.

Abstract Purpose To analyze the impact of quality of life (QoL), nutritional and clinical indicators on overall survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy. Materials and methods At the beginning, at the end of (chemo)radiotherapy and during follow-up, QoL was prospectively assessed using the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and -QLQ-HN 95% CI: 1-1.06; p=0.03), HPV negativity (HR: 18.19, 95% CI: 1.61-204.17; p=0.02), and baseline phase angle (HR: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.01-0.82; p=0.03) were identified as predictors for overall survival. Conclusions Factors influencing overall survival in patients with HNSCC undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy are complex and multifactorial. We were able to identify QoL-related (dental problems), clinical (HPV status) and nutritional (phase angle) factors as negative predictors for survival. This study was registered within the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00016862).