Dysphagia, trismus and speech impairment following radiation-based treatment for advanced stage oropharyngeal carcinoma: a one-year prospective evaluation.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The objective was to assess swallowing, mouth opening and speech function during the first year after radiation-based treatment (RT(+)) after introduction of a dedicated preventive rehabilitation program for stage III-IV oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC).

METHODS:

Swallowing, mouth opening and speech function were collected before and at six- and twelve-month follow-up after RT(+) for OPC as part of ongoing prospective assessments by speech-language pathologists .

RESULTS:

Objective and patient-perceived function deteriorated until 6 months and improved until 12 months after treatment, but did not return to baseline levels with 25%, 20% and 58% of the patients with objective dysphagia, trismus and speech problems, respectively. Feeding tube dependency and pneumonia prevalence was low.

CONCLUSION:

Despite successful implementation, a substantial proportion of patients still experience functional limitations after RT(+) for OPC, suggesting room for improvement of the current rehabilitation program. Pretreatment sarcopenia seems associated with worse functional outcomes and might be a relevant new target for rehabilitation strategies.

• Authors: Rebecca T Karsten, Najiba Chargi, Lisette van der Molen, Rob J J H van Son, Remco de Bree, Abrahim Al-Mamgani, Jan P de Boer, Frans J M Hilgers, Michiel W M van den Brekel, Ludi E Smeele, Martijn M Stuiver
• Journal: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol) Vol. 279 Issue 2 Pg. 1003-1027 (Feb 2022) ISSN: 1434-4726 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 34043065 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Topics

• Carcinoma
• Deglutition Disorders (epidemiology, etiology)
• Humans
• Oropharyngeal Neoplasms (complications, radiotherapy)
• Speech
• Trismus (epidemiology, etiology)