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Brief Title: Optimal Tube Feeding Method in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Official Title: The Optimal Tube Feeding Method in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Comparison Between Bolus, Gravity, and Tube Feeding Pump.
Study ID: NCT01536782
Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess the optimal tube feeding method (bolus, gravity or pump) by analyzing percent weight loss, tolerance of enteral feeds, and percent of estimated calorie and protein needs in 60 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck undergoing chemoradiation therapy.
Detailed Description: It is a great challenge to maintain the nutritional status of the head and neck cancer (HNC) patients through treatment advances such as combined chemoradiation therapy or CRT. For all these reasons, HNC patients undergoing treatment, frequently require alternate methods of nutrition support such as as enteral tube feeding via a gastrostomy tube.Upon gastric tube feeding initiation, the registered dietitian (RD) must consider the three different methods: bolus (using a syringe), gravity (using gravity feeding bags), and pump (using a tube feeding pump). Typically, patients are started on bolus (OPTION A), changed to gravity (OPTION B) if bolus feeds are not tolerated, and ultimately changed to pump (OPTION C) if gravity feeds are not tolerated. The concern is that in this process of starting with OPTION A, and moving to OPTION B or further to OPTION C, the patient may experience unintentional weight loss and dehydration related to tube feeding intolerance and/or tube feeding inadequacy. Consequently, this places the patient at risk of, but not limited to, hospital admission for dehydration and/or malnutrition, and treatment interruption. Therefore, exploring the idea of an optimal feeding method and starting patients on it from the beginning, may improve patient outcomes in terms of nutritional status.
Minimum Age: 18 Years
Eligible Ages: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Sex: ALL
Healthy Volunteers: No
Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States
Name: Andreea Nguyen, MS in Nutrition
Affiliation: Baylor Health Care System
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR