Evaluation of swallowing disorders by use of transnasal esophagoscopy in patients treated for head and neck cancer.
The purposes of this study were to identify an index of symptoms and signs of swallowing disorders that indicate the occurrence of local recurrence or second primary malignancy and to evaluate the application of transnasal esophagoscopy in patients treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).



Patients treated for HNSCC with swallowing disorders who received transnasal esophagoscopy examinations between January 2010 and June 2014 were included in this study. Local recurrence and second primary malignancy were pathologically diagnosed.



In total, 136 patients were examined and one-third of them had local recurrence or second primary malignancy. Thirty-two patients had local recurrence and 14 patients had second primary malignancy. Common swallowing disorders and objective transnasal esophagoscopy findings were similar between the patients with and without local recurrence or second primary malignancy.



No definite index of symptoms and signs was an indicator of local recurrence or second primary malignancy in the patients treated for HNSCC. Routine transnasal esophagoscopy examination of patients treated for HNSCC with swallowing disorders is strongly recommended. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1137-E1143, 2016.
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin, Taiwan.
Pei-Hsuan
PH
Lin
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Pathology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Cheng-Ping
CP
Wang
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Pei-Jen
PJ
Lou
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jeng-Yuh
JY
Ko
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tzu-Yu
TY
Hsiao
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Pathology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tseng-Cheng
TC
Chen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
head and neck cancer; metachronous cancer; recurrence; swallowing morbidity; transnasal esophagoscopy