Objectives Palliative radiotherapy regimens for advanced head and neck cancers vary in doses and treatment times. Their quality of life (QoL) implications are not clearly established.

Methods We randomised patients with advanced, non-metastatic, head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (stage IVA-B) with WHO performance score of 2 or higher to receive 30 Gy in 10 fractions over two weeks (arm A) or 20 Gy in 5 fractions over one week (arm B). QoL was assessed using European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaires (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires at baseline and postradiotherapy. The primary endpoint was the EORTC-defined global health status. Secondary endpoints were functional and symptom scores of QoL, response to radiotherapy and acute toxicities. The primary aim was to evaluate the one-week regimen in terms of QoL to the longer regimen.

Results 110 patients were randomised, the number of patients in the final analysis was 95: 49 in arm A and 46 in arm B. Baseline characteristics were similar. Clinical outcomes post-treatment were comparable. Postradiotherapy, there were improved scores for functional and symptom scales, the differences were non-significant. The duration of treatment was significantly reduced in arm B (p<0.01) with a lower score for financial difficulty (p<0.001). The difference in global health status (primary endpoint) was non-significant (p=0.82). The median overall survival was 7 months, the median progression-free survival was 5 months and these did not vary between the two groups.

Conclusion One-week palliative radiotherapy for head and neck cancers achieves similar QoL and clinical outcomes as more protracted radiotherapy schedules with significantly reduced treatment time and financial toxicity.