Swallowing disorders in the first year after radiation and chemoradiation.
BACKGROUND
Radiation alone or concurrent chemoradiation can result in severe swallowing disorders. This manuscript defines the swallowing disorders occurring at pretreatment and 3 and 12 months after completion of radiation or chemoradiation.


METHODS
Forty-eight patients (10 women and 38 men) participated in this study involving videofluorographic evaluation of oropharyngeal swallow at the 3 time points.


RESULTS
At baseline, patients had some swallow disorders, probably related to presence of their tumor. At 3 months posttreatment, frequency of reduced tongue base retraction, slow or delayed laryngeal vestibule closure, and reduced laryngeal elevation increased from baseline. Some disorders continued at 12 months posttreatment. Functional swallow decreased over time in patients treated with chemoradiation, but not those treated with radiation alone.


CONCLUSIONS
Chemoradiation results in fewer functional swallowers than radiation alone at 12 months posttreatment completion.
Logemann
Jeri A
JA
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA. j-logemann@northwestern.edu
Pauloski
Barbara Roa
BR
Rademaker
Alfred W
AW
Lazarus
Cathy L
CL
Gaziano
Joy
J
Stachowiak
Linda
L
Newman
Lisa
L
MacCracken
Ellen
E
Santa
Daphne
D
Mittal
Bharat
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage