Table 4.

Complications of Radiation Therapy in Abstainers and Continued Smokers and the Relative Risks for Each Complication Associated With Continued Smoking (Group 3 Patients Included)

	Abstainers, n=37		Continued Smokers, n=44
Complication	No.	%	No.	%	P*+	RR for Complication Associated With Continued Smoking (95% CI)
Skin changes
Grade 0-I	21	56.8	30	68.1	.29	0.8 (0.59–1.18)
Grade II-IV	16	43.2	14	31.9
Mucositis
Grade 0-I	16	43.2	12	27.2	.13	1.5 (0.86–2.91)
Grade II-III	21	56.8	32	72.8
Feeding tube needed
No	16	43.2	16	36.4	.53	1.1(0.69–2.04)
Yes	21	56.8	28	63.6
Hospitalization during treatment
No	32	86.5	29	65.9	.03	1.3 (1.02–1.68)
Yes	5	13.5	15	34.1
Pharyngeal stricture requiring dilatation
No	37	100	40	90.9	.06	1.1 (1.0–1.21)
Yes	0	0	4	9.1
Osteoradionecrosis
No	36	97.3	35	79.5	.02	1.2 (1.04–1.43)
Yes	1	2.7	9	20.5
Osteoradionecrosis needing major resection
No	37	100	40	90.9	.06	1.1 (1.0–1.21)
Yes	0	0	4	9.1
Variable	Mean ± SD	Median [Range]	Mean ± SD	Median [Range]	P *	RR (95% CI)
Feeding tube duration, d†	206.6 ± 138.3	186 [48–449]	193.3 ± 202.7	152 [5–1043]	.54	—
Hospitalization duration, d	3.8 ± 2.2	3 [2–7]	8.2 ± 11.8	4 [2–43]	.01	—

RR indicates relative risk; CI, confidence interval; SD, standard deviation.

^*The chi-square or Fisher exact test, as appropriate, was sued for categorical variables, and t tests were used to compare means (with adjustment for unequal variances, as appropriate) for continuous variables.

^†Includes 16 patients (6 abstainers and 10 continued smokers) who had a feeding tube present at the last contact.