PEG status and outcomes in head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.

e17030 Background: Patients undergoing concomitant chemoradiotherapy may or may not undergo prophylactic PEG placement, depending on baseline weight, medical status and presence of dysphagia. We examined quality of life, performance status and oral outcomes in patients with or without PEG at baseline and 3 months post-treatment. Methods: Thirty-three patients with head and neck cancer were treated with chemoradiotherapy. All were seen baseline and 3 months post-tx. Assessments included the Performance Status Scale (PSS), Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPSS), tongue strength, jaw opening, and saliva weight. Patient-rated QOL utilized the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) with significance at p<.05. Results: Weight loss from baseline to 3 months post-tx was 15.16 % (p=0.000) and 10.41% (p=0.046) for those without and with PEGs, respectively. At 3 months post-tx, the PEG group performed significantly worse than the no-PEG group on the EAT-10;(p=0.050), worse on ...