Helical intensity‐modulated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A prospective investigation of acute swallowing and toxicity patterns

Abstract

Results confirm that patients with oropharyngeal SCC undergoing helical IMRT with chemotherapy continue to experience incidences of acute toxicities comparable with other conformal techniques, and need supportive cares.

Clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with oral health‐related quality of life in survivors of head and neck cancer

“…Concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy was associated with worse scores on the functional limitation domain in the bivariate analysis, which reflects problems regarding taste and the pronunciation of words, but this association lost its significance after the adjusted analysis. In contrast, other researchers report that concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy increases both acute and late‐onset toxicity compared to radiotherapy alone and other methods, causing dysgeusia and exerting a negative impact on quality of life . Histological studies involving rats have demonstrated that radiotherapy of the head and neck causes harm to the taste buds, affecting the perception of bitter, salty and sour flavors .…”

Association between external and internal lymphedema and chronic dysphagia following head and neck cancer treatment

“…The extent to which patients experience dysphagia is largely dependent on the size and location of the tumor, the modality and intensity of the treatment, and the nature of any surgical reconstruction 2,3 . Dysphagia is known to occur in the acute phases of treatment and can often be attributed to radiation‐induced toxicities, such as xerostomia, mucositis, pain, and loss of taste and sensation 4,5 . Three months post treatment, many of these acute toxicities have largely resolved and some patients, over the subsequent months, slowly experience a return to their baseline swallow function 4 .…”

“…2,3 Dysphagia is known to occur in the acute phases of treatment and can often be attributed to radiation-induced toxicities, such as xerostomia, mucositis, pain, and loss of taste and sensation. 4,5 Three months post treatment, many of these acute toxicities have largely resolved and some patients, over the subsequent months, slowly experience a return to their baseline swallow function. 4 However, other patients may see little or no recovery in their swallow function, with a recent population-based study demonstrating that up to 45% of patients are impacted by chronic dysphagia 2 years post treatment, 6 while a recent longitudinal study showed that up to 50% of patients continued to experience dysphagia 3 years post treatment.…”

“…4,5 Three months post treatment, many of these acute toxicities have largely resolved and some patients, over the subsequent months, slowly experience a return to their baseline swallow function. 4 However, other patients may see little or no recovery in their swallow function, with a recent population-based study demonstrating that up to 45% of patients are impacted by chronic dysphagia 2 years post treatment, 6 while a recent longitudinal study showed that up to 50% of patients continued to experience dysphagia 3 years post treatment. 5 These chronic presentations have historically been attributed to fibrosis and radiation-induced neuropathy.…”

Oral Nutritional Supplementation Affects the Dietary Intake and Body Weight of Head and Neck Cancer Patients during (Chemo) Radiotherapy

“…As symptoms presented by HNC patients such as xerostomia, dysgeusia, dysphagia, mucositis, and thick saliva [36,37] can limit oral intake [22] and lead to changes in food consistency, our results for macronutrients were expected. A lower macronutrient intake is expected when patients opt for pasty, liquid, or mild food [9], impacting in particular fiber content.…”