[Vestibular disorders and nausea during head and neck intensity-modulated radiation therapy]

We studied whether there is a relationship between nausea and vestibular disorders in patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer.

We performed a prospective single-centre study that enrolled 31 patients. A videonystagmography was carried out before and within 15 days after radiation therapy for each patient. Nausea was assessed at baseline, every week, and at the post-radiotherapy videonystagmography visit.

Twenty-six patients had benefited from a complete interpretable videonystagmography. For 14 of these patients vestibular damage was diagnosed post-radiotherapy. During irradiation, six patients felt nauseous, but without dizziness. In univariate analysis, we found a relationship statistically significant between the average dose received by the vestibules and vestibular disorder videonystagmography (P=0.001, odds ratio [OR]: 1.08 [1.025-.138]), but there was no relationship between vestibular disorder videonystagmography and nausea (P=0.701).

Irradiation of the vestibular system during IMRT does not seem to explain the nausea.