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Long‐term swallowing after chemoradiotherapy: Prospective study of functional and patient‐reported changes over time
Author(s) -
Frowen Jacqui,
Drosdowsky Allison,
Perry Alison,
Corry June
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23991
Subject(s) - swallowing , medicine , head and neck cancer , quality of life (healthcare) , prospective cohort study , chemoradiotherapy , surgery , cancer , nursing
Background This prospective study evaluated long‐term swallowing outcomes and associated risk factors 5 years postchemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Methods Following an earlier study of 69 patients, 39 patients had patient‐reported activity and quality of life (QOL) data collected. Twenty‐one patients also underwent a videofluoroscopy swallowing study (VFSS). Results Between 6 months and 5 years posttreatment, patient‐reported activity for solid foods significantly improved ( p < .001), returning to pretreatment levels for 74% of patients. On VFSS, swallowing function for semisolids declined, with 5 patients demonstrating a clinically significant deterioration. Factors that predicted poorer long‐term swallowing were the same as at 6 months, with the addition of older age and disease stage. Conclusion Although long‐term patient‐reported activity improves and swallowing‐related QOL is high, up to 24% of patients may demonstrate a clinically significant deterioration in swallowing function at 5 years posttreatment. This divergence suggests a degree of adaptation that patients develop, which warrants further investigation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38 : E307–E315, 2016