title: Laryngeal penetration and aspiration during swallowing after the treatment of advanced oropharyngeal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether laryngeal penetration and aspiration in oropharyngeal cancer survivors differ by treatment group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of patients with stage III or IV oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who were at least 12 months removed from combined modality therapy and clinically free of disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Potential subjects were stratified by tumor site and tumor T stage to achieve a similar comparison between chemoradiotherapy (n = 10) and surgery/radiotherapy (n = 11) groups. Validated instruments used to evaluate swallowing included the Penetration-Aspiration Scale and the M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy demonstrated greater airway protection according to Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores than those treated with surgery and radiotherapy on 5-mL (P = .02), 10-mL (P = .04), and 20-mL (P = .04) liquid barium swallows. Also, the oropharyngeal chemoradiotherapy group had better self-perceived swallowing ability than the surgery-radiotherapy group on the basis of the M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that patients with oropharyngeal cancer who successfully complete chemoradiotherapy protocols without surgical salvage retain greater airway protection during swallowing and better swallowing-related quality of life than patients treated with primary surgery and radiotherapy.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA. gillesmb@musc.edu
authors: M Boyd
authors: MB
authors: Gillespie
authors: Martin B
authors: MB
authors: Brodsky
authors: Terry A
authors: TA
authors: Day
authors: Anand K
authors: AK
authors: Sharma
authors: Fu-shing
authors: FS
authors: Lee
authors: Bonnie
authors: B
authors: Martin-Harris
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life