INCREASING F & V INTAKE IN HEAD & NECK CANCER PATIENTS

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DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description) Early stage head and neck cancer patients, who appear curatively treated, experience high morbidity and mortality rates from both cancer recurrence and second primary cancers in the field of cancerization. Low fruit and vegetable intake has consistently been found to be a risk factor for head and neck cancer evidence suggests an association with a higher risk of second primary cancer. Data from head and neck cancer patients in an ongoing clinical trial suggests that these patients do not significantly increase their relatively low intake of fruit and vegetable intake following diagnosis of cancer, and that the majority remain well below the US nationally recommended daily intake of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The aim of this project is to determine if the use of a tailored intervention based on the stage of change model will increase their servings of fruit and vegetables and thereby increase plasma carotenoid levels by 30 percent. The intervention will be designed to be translatable to the normal medical care of these patients. Eighty patients with early stage head and neck cancer from the State of Connecticut will be recruited for the study. Patients reporting intake of less than 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables will be randomized to either the intervention or control arm of the study. Those in the intervention arm will receive a tailored intervention designed to increase intake of fruit and vegetables based on their assigned stage membership with regard to fruit and vegetable intake. The intervention will be conducted over a 6 month period and will include a contact every 6 weeks which mimics the follow up care schedule for these patients. The outcome of the trial will be assessed by measuring the change in plasma carotenoid levels over the length of the trial in the intervention group as compared to the control group. If feasible this intervention could be incorporated into usual care for these patients to reduce their risk of subsequent cancer.