title: Long-term swallowing after chemoradiotherapy: Prospective study of functional and patient-reported changes over time.
abstract: This prospective study evaluated long-term swallowing outcomes and associated risk factors 5 years postchemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer.
  
  
  
  Following an earlier study of 69 patients, 39 patients had patient-reported activity and quality of life (QOL) data collected. Twenty-one patients also underwent a videofluoroscopy swallowing study (VFSS).
  
  
  
  Between 6 months and 5 years posttreatment, patient-reported activity for solid foods significantly improved (p < .001), returning to pretreatment levels for 74% of patients. On VFSS, swallowing function for semisolids declined, with 5 patients demonstrating a clinically significant deterioration. Factors that predicted poorer long-term swallowing were the same as at 6 months, with the addition of older age and disease stage.
  
  
  
  Although long-term patient-reported activity improves and swallowing-related QOL is high, up to 24% of patients may demonstrate a clinically significant deterioration in swallowing function at 5 years posttreatment. This divergence suggests a degree of adaptation that patients develop, which warrants further investigation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E307-E315, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Speech Pathology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jacqui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frowen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drosdowsky
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|University of Melbourne, Grattan St, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003679:Deglutition; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: dysphagia; head and neck cancer; radiotherapy; swallowing