• Home
  • Practice Focus
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
    • How I Do It
    • TRIO Best Practices
  • Business of Medicine
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Practice Management
    • Tech Talk
    • AI
  • Literature Reviews
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Career
    • Medical Education
    • Professional Development
    • Resident Focus
  • ENT Perspectives
    • ENT Expressions
    • Everyday Ethics
    • From TRIO
    • The Great Debate
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Rx: Wellness
    • The Voice
    • Viewpoint
  • TRIO Resources
    • Triological Society
    • The Laryngoscope
    • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
    • TRIO Combined Sections Meetings
    • COSM
    • Related Otolaryngology Events
  • Search

Outcome of Perioperative Oxandrolone for Patients with Cachexia Related to Head and Neck Cancer

by Amy E. Hamaker • June 9, 2019

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version

Does perioperative oxandrolone improve nutritional status in patients with cachexia related to head and neck carcinoma?

Bottom Line: Perioperative administration of oxandrolone resulted in objective improvements in prealbumin levels and subjective improvements in surgical wounds. Oxandrolone administered 10 mg twice daily (BID) for 10 days may be a useful adjunct in the perioperative care of nutritionally deficient HNC patients who are at risk for or have demonstrated impaired wound healing.

You Might Also Like

  • Increased Antibiotic Prescribing Period Associated with Delayed Head and Neck Cancer Diagnosis
  • Travel Distance Alone Not Associated with Worsened Two-Year Survival in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Head and Neck Cancer
  • Survival for Advanced Head, Neck Cancer Improvements May Be Related to PET
  • Extracranial/Intracranial Vascular Bypass Preferred for Head and Neck Cancer Patients with Internal or Common Carotid Artery-Related Carotid Blowout Syndrome
Explore This Issue
June 2019

Background: Cancer cachexia affects up to more than 50% of patients with advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). To date, the potential utility of anabolic steroids in perioperative cachectic HNC patients has not been determined.

Study design: Retrospective review of pre- and post-oxandrolone administration prealbumin levels in 18 perioperative HNC patients between October 2007 and October 2014.

Setting: Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City.

Synopsis: Eighteen patients were identified who met inclusion criteria. The patients ranged in age from 44 to 75 years with an average age of 63.4 years; 11 (61%) were men and seven (39%) were women. Patients received oxandrolone for an average of 22.8 days (range: 7–45 days). The majority of patients (15/18) received 10 mg per os (PO) BID, with one patient receiving 5 mg PO BID, another 2.5 mg PO four times daily (QID), and the third 10 mg PO three times a day. All 18 patients demonstrated an overall improvement in prealbumin levels during the course of their treatment. The degree of improvement and the time over which this occurred, however, varied by patient. The earliest response to therapy was seen after four days; 50% showed improvement by day 8, 70% by day 10, and 100% by day 18. Concurrent subjective improvement in wound healing was also observed, as documented by the evaluating surgeon.

Citation: Laryngoscope Inv Otolaryngol. May 15, 2019. DOI: 10.1002/lio2.268.

Filed Under: Head and Neck, Literature Reviews Tagged With: cachexia, head and neck cancer, oxandroloneIssue: June 2019

You Might Also Like:

  • Increased Antibiotic Prescribing Period Associated with Delayed Head and Neck Cancer Diagnosis
  • Travel Distance Alone Not Associated with Worsened Two-Year Survival in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Head and Neck Cancer
  • Survival for Advanced Head, Neck Cancer Improvements May Be Related to PET
  • Extracranial/Intracranial Vascular Bypass Preferred for Head and Neck Cancer Patients with Internal or Common Carotid Artery-Related Carotid Blowout Syndrome

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

Polls

Do you use AI-powered scribes for documentation?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive

Top Articles for Residents

  • Applications Open for Resident Members of ENTtoday Edit Board
  • How To Provide Helpful Feedback To Residents
  • Call for Resident Bowl Questions
  • New Standardized Otolaryngology Curriculum Launching July 1 Should Be Valuable Resource For Physicians Around The World
  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • Keeping Watch for Skin Cancers on the Head and Neck

    • Is Middle Ear Pressure Affected by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use?

    • Excitement Around Gene Therapy for Hearing Restoration

    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • Is Middle Ear Pressure Affected by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use?

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name

    • The Importance of Time Away
    • Endoscopic Ear Surgery: Advancements and Adoption Challenges 
    • Reflections from a Past President of the Triological Society
    • ENT Surgeons Explore the Benefits and Challenges of AI-Powered Scribes: Revolutionizing Documentation in Healthcare
    • How To: Open Expansion Laryngoplasty for Combined Glottic and Subglottic Stenosis

Follow Us

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • The Triological Society
  • The Laryngoscope
  • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies

Wiley

Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 1559-4939