The prospective evaluation and risk factors of dysphagia after surgery in patients with oral cancer.

BACKGROUND: This prospective study investigated the change of swallowing ability using the Swallowing Ability Scale System (SASS) and swallowing-related quality of life (QOL) by Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer patients (PSS-H&N). This study also investigated the risk factors for postoperative dysphagia in patients who received reconstructive surgery for oral cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 64 patients (33 men and 31 women) who underwent radical surgery with neck dissection and reconstructive surgery for oral cancers between July 2014 and February 2018. We evaluated risk factors for poor swallowing ability after treatment, including demographic factors, preoperative factors and perioperative factors, with univariate and multivariate analyses. The change of swallowing ability by the SASS and swallowing-related QOL by PSS-H&N were evaluated prospectively prior to the initiation of surgery within 1 week and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. RESULTS: Advanced T stage (T3, 4) (odds ratio (OR) = 79.71), bilateral neck dissection (OR = 20.66) and the resection of unilateral or bilateral suprahyoid muscles (OR = 17.00) were associated with poor swallowing ability after treatment. The scores for time for food intake and Eating in Public were associated with decrease of QOL in the poor group. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that clinicians consider the risk factors identified in this study and pay close attention to the management of oral cancer patients with reconstructive surgery.

Role of intensive nutrition support and prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy during concomitant chemoradiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) produces severe mucositis and swallowing dysfunction, often resulting in malnutrition. Intensive nutrition support (INS) in addition to percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is reported to decrease adverse effects during CCRT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated by CDDP-based CCRT were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-nine patients treated with INS in addition to PEG were classified as INS group, and other 29 patients treated with PEG but without INS were classified as control group. RESULTS: INS in addition to PEG significantly increased calorie intake in the second half of CCRT and reduced adverse events including mucositis (p = 0.0019), leukopenia (p = 0.04), and renal function (p = 0.006). Moreover, 21 out of 29 patients had successfully administration of 200 mg/m2 or more of CDDP, while only 10 out of 29 patients had enough amount of CDDP in control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that INS in addition to prophylactic PEG not only decreases adverse effects but also may potentially improve oncological outcome of the patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated by CCRT.

Role of immediate recurrent laryngeal nerve reconstruction in surgery for thyroid cancers with fixed vocal cords.

BACKGROUND: Quality of voice after immediate recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) reconstruction in thyroid cancers has not been thoroughly studied. METHODS: Thirteen patients with fixed vocal cords (fixed vocal cord group) and 8 patients with intact or impaired mobile vocal cords (mobile vocal cord group) who had immediate RLN reconstruction simultaneously with total thyroidectomy, and patients who had arytenoid adduction and thyroplasty for vocal cord paralysis caused by previous surgery (arytenoid adduction thyroplasty group) were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: Preoperative phonation efficiency index was significantly lower (p = .008) in the fixed vocal cord group than in the mobile vocal cord group. One year after surgery, all voice parameters of the patients in the fixed vocal cord group had improved, compared with their preoperative data. The fixed vocal cord group had attained satisfactory voice qualities equivalent to those of the mobile vocal cord group in terms of various voice parameters. CONCLUSION: The present results support the idea that immediate RLN reconstruction at the time of surgery for thyroid cancers may spare the need for subsequent arytenoid adduction thyroplasty even in the patients with preoperatively fixed vocal cords. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 427-431, 2017.