A new guideline update on radiotherapy treatments for head and neck cancer strengthened the previous guideline’s findings but did not find any new significant evidence on the effectiveness of other procedures.
The guideline, prepared by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, updates Comparative Effectiveness Review (CER) No. 20, published in 2010. The update includes three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), intensity-modulated RT (IMRT), and proton-beam RT (PBT), which were in the previous guideline, but also includes stereotactic body RT (SBRT) and excludes two-dimensional RT (2DRT). The search included studies published from September 2009 to April 2013, except for SBRT, where studies from January 1, 1990, through April 2013 were included. Fourteen studies and one randomized controlled trial met inclusion criteria.
The update found new evidence that IMRT reduced xerostomia more than did 3DCRT or 2DRT, but no new evidence was found on how quality of life domains were improved, which were the primary findings of the CER No. 20. Evidence toward other radiotherapy comparisons was limited and insufficient to draw any new conclusions, and no evidence was found for PBT.