Swallowing Function in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Prior to Treatment

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Abstract
PATIENTS with carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract often manifest various degrees of swallowing dysfunction or dysphagia. Swallowing in this group of patients may be adversely affected by the cancer itself, or by the surgical, radiation, or chemotherapeutic regimens used for treatment of the cancer. The oral preparatory, oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases of swallowing all may be affected by the cancer and its treatment. Although the dysfunctions seem readily apparent, it is surprising how infrequently pretreatment dysfunction is documented. Few reports document function prior to treatment or correlate phases of swallowing with the site and stage of disease. The majority of past research has focused on posttreatment (surgery and/or radiation) dysfunction.