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Factors affecting duration of gastrostomy tube retention in survivors following treatment for head and neck cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2014

H Blanchford ,
D Hamilton ,
I Bowe ,
S Welch ,
R Kumar ,
J W Moor ,
A R Welch  and
V Paleri
H Blanchford
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
D Hamilton
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
I Bowe
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
S Welch
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesia, North Tyneside General Hospital, North Shields, UK
R Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
J W Moor
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sunderland, UK
A R Welch
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
V Paleri*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr V Paleri, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DN, UK E-mail: vinidh.paleri@ncl.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background:

Many patients treated for head and neck cancer require nutritional support, which is often delivered using a gastrostomy tube. It is difficult to predict which patients will retain their gastrostomy tube in the long term. This study aimed to identify the factors which affect the duration of gastrostomy tube retention.

Method:

In this retrospective study, 151 consecutive patients from one centre were audited. All patients had a mucosal tumour of the head and neck, and underwent gastrostomy tube insertion between 2003 and 2007.

Results:

There were near-complete data sets for 132 patients. The gastrostomy tube was retained in survivors (n = 66) for a mean of 21.3 months and in non-survivors (n = 66) for 11.9 months. Univariate analysis showed that co-morbidity was the only factor which significantly increased duration of gastrostomy tube retention in survivors (p = 0.041).

Conclusion:

Co-morbidity alone was associated with a significant increase in gastrostomy tube retention. It is suggested that co-morbidity be included as a variable in future relevant research. Co-morbidity should also be considered when counselling patients about their long-term function following cancer treatment. Gastrostomy tube retention is likely to be affected by many factors, with few single variables having importance independently.

Keywords

Head And Neck CancerGastrostomyComorbidityNutritional Support

Information

Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 128 , Issue 3 , March 2014 , pp. 263 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2014 

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