{"doi":"10.1111/adj.12608","title":"Xerostomia, salivary characteristics and gland volumes following intensity‐modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a two‐year follow up","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>To evaluate changes in xerostomia status, salivary characteristics and gland volumes 2 years following radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Xerostomia scores, salivary flow rates, <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content> and buffering capacity were measured at pre‐radiotherapy, mid‐radiotherapy, 2 weeks, 3 months and 2 years post‐radiotherapy. Salivary gland volumes and their correlation with radiation dose were also assessed.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Mean radiation dose to oral cavity, parotid and submandibular glands (SMG) was 44.5, 65.0 and 38.6 Gy respectively. Parotid and SMG volumes decreased 33% at 3 months post‐radiotherapy; volumes at 2 years post‐radiotherapy were 84% and 51% of pre‐radiotherapy levels, respectively. Correlations were observed between parotid gland volume per cent reduction and its radiation dose and between resting salivary flow rate reduction and post‐radiotherapy/pre‐radiotherapy SMG volume ratio. Salivary flow rates and resting saliva <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content> remained significantly low at 2 years post‐radiotherapy (both flow rates, <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.001; resting saliva <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content>,<jats:italic> P</jats:italic> = 0.005). Similarly, xerostomia scores remained significantly higher compared with pre‐radiotherapy levels.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>Submandibular gland volumetric shrinkage persisted 2 years after radiotherapy. Xerostomia scores remained significantly higher, and salivary flow rates and resting saliva <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content> remained significantly lower, suggesting that study participants were still at risk for hyposalivation‐related oral diseases.</jats:p></jats:sec>","journal":"Australian Dental Journal","year":2018,"id":649926,"datarank":0.5375278407684165,"base_score":3.58351893845611,"endowment":3.58351893845611,"self_citation_contribution":0.5375278407684165,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.5375278407684165,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":35,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1694503,"name":"YL Soong","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694504,"name":"EPP Pang","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694505,"name":"C Lim","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694507,"name":"GD Walker","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694508,"name":"DJ Manton","orcid":null,"position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694509,"name":"EC Reynolds","orcid":null,"position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694510,"name":"JTS Wee","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1694502,"name":"CPC Sim","orcid":"0000-0001-8597-1786","position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Xerostomia, salivary characteristics and gland volumes following intensity‐modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a two‐year follow up","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>To evaluate changes in xerostomia status, salivary characteristics and gland volumes 2 years following radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Xerostomia scores, salivary flow rates, <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content> and buffering capacity were measured at pre‐radiotherapy, mid‐radiotherapy, 2 weeks, 3 months and 2 years post‐radiotherapy. Salivary gland volumes and their correlation with radiation dose were also assessed.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Mean radiation dose to oral cavity, parotid and submandibular glands (SMG) was 44.5, 65.0 and 38.6 Gy respectively. Parotid and SMG volumes decreased 33% at 3 months post‐radiotherapy; volumes at 2 years post‐radiotherapy were 84% and 51% of pre‐radiotherapy levels, respectively. Correlations were observed between parotid gland volume per cent reduction and its radiation dose and between resting salivary flow rate reduction and post‐radiotherapy/pre‐radiotherapy SMG volume ratio. Salivary flow rates and resting saliva <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content> remained significantly low at 2 years post‐radiotherapy (both flow rates, <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.001; resting saliva <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content>,<jats:italic> P</jats:italic> = 0.005). Similarly, xerostomia scores remained significantly higher compared with pre‐radiotherapy levels.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>Submandibular gland volumetric shrinkage persisted 2 years after radiotherapy. Xerostomia scores remained significantly higher, and salivary flow rates and resting saliva <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">pH</jats:styled-content> remained significantly lower, suggesting that study participants were still at risk for hyposalivation‐related oral diseases.</jats:p></jats:sec>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":3.58351893845611,"endowment":3.58351893845611,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"29569726","pmcid":null,"openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W2791569931","authors":[],"funders":[],"total_grants":0,"fwci":1.5118,"citation_percentile":0.81518054,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[{"year":2019,"count":1},{"year":2020,"count":4},{"year":2021,"count":7},{"year":2022,"count":8},{"year":2023,"count":7},{"year":2024,"count":3},{"year":2025,"count":3},{"year":2026,"count":2}],"oa_status":"bronze","license":"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/adj.12608","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/adj.12608","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fadj.12608","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/adj.12608","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1111/adj.12608","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29569726","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11343/283782","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/en/publications/xerostomia-salivary-characteristics-and-gland-volumes-following-intensitymodulated-radiotherapy-for-nasopharyngeal-carcinoma-a-twoyear-follow-up(364f4466-8421-4050-88a3-2d6b87fb71da).html","host_type":"repository"}],"fields_of_study":["Salivary Gland Disorders and Functions","Oral health in cancer treatment","Head and Neck Cancer Studies"],"mesh_terms":["Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma","Adult","Aged","Female","Follow-Up Studies","Head and Neck Neoplasms","Humans","Hydrogen-Ion Concentration","Male","Middle Aged","Parotid Gland","Radiotherapy Dosage","Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted","Saliva","Salivary Glands","Singapore","Submandibular Gland","Xerostomia","Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated"],"keywords":["Radiation therapy","Medicine","Saliva","Nasopharyngeal carcinoma","Salivary gland","Parotid gland","Submandibular gland","Internal medicine","Gastroenterology","Pathology"],"sdg_mappings":[{"sdg_number":0,"sdg_label":"Good health and well-being"}],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-10T04:32:11.707143Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}