Obstructive sleep apnea following treatment of head and neck cancer.
A growing body of literature is suggesting that there is a link between head and neck cancer treated with radiation therapy and the development of obstructive sleep apnea/ hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). We describe the case of a 54-year-old man with a history of head and neck cancer whose OSAHS had gone undiagnosed for 3 years. After the diagnosis was made on the basis of sleep study data, we determined that the OSAHS was a long-term complication of cervical radiation therapy that had been delivered to treat the patient's laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma 3 years earlier. We also review the literature regarding the association between head and neck cancer and the development of OSAHS.
Stern
Thomas P
TP
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA.
Auckley
Dennis
D
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology*