Pretreatment Dysphagia Protocol for the Patient With Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Chemoradiation

Abstract

The combination of chemotherapy and radiation has emerged as a standard of care for patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC) of the oropharynx, the hypopharynx, and the larynx. Many devastating complications to the integrity of the swallow have been documented to occur with the swallowing mechanism, as a result of several chemoradiation protocols. These complications include decreased oral caloric intake, long-term reliance on feeding tubes for nutrition, weight loss, increased morbidity and mortality, decreased quality of life, and increased utilization of health-care services.