title: Efficacy of electrical stimulation and exercise for dysphagia in patients with head and neck cancer: A randomized clinical trial.
abstract: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a highly sought after but poorly studied treatment for dysphagia among patients with head and neck cancer with dysphagia. This study investigated the efficacy of NMES in this patient population.
  
  
  
  In this double-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 170 patients with head and neck cancer experiencing posttreatment dysphagia were randomized into active NMES + swallow exercise versus sham NMES + swallow exercise groups. Outcomes after a 12-week program included changes in fluoroscopy measures, diet, and quality of life.
  
  
  
  After the 12-week program, the active NMES group had significantly worse Penetration Aspiration Scale scores than the sham group. Both groups reported significantly better diet and quality of life. No other measures were significant.
  
  
  
  NMES did not add benefit to traditional swallow exercises. Unfortunately, swallow exercises were not effective by themselves either. For patients with head and neck cancer with moderate to severe dysphagia caused by radiation therapy, current behavioral therapies are of limited help in reversing long-term dysphagia. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Head Neck 38: E1221-E1231, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.|Department of Speech Language Hearing, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Langmore
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Timothy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: McCulloch
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Gintas P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Krisciunas
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.|THANC Foundation, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Cathy L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lazarus
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Van Daele
authors.affiliation: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Barbara Roa
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Pauloski
authors.affiliation: Data Coordinating Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rybin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Gheorghe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: dysphagia; electrical stimulation; exercise; head and neck cancer; radiation therapy