Feeding Tube Placement Following Transoral Robotic Surgery for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that may predict the need for feeding tubes in patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the perioperative setting. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Academic tertiary center. METHODS: A retrospective series of patients undergoing TORS for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) was identified between October 2016 and November 2019 at a single tertiary academic center. Patient data were gathered, such as frailty information, tumor characteristics, and treatment, including need for adjuvant therapy. Multiple logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with feeding tube placement following TORS. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 60.2 years (range, 37-88 years) and 81.9% were male. Overall 82.9% of patients had human papilloma virus-associated tumors, while 28.3% were current or former smokers with a smoking history ≥10 pack-years. Eleven patients (8.0%) had a nasogastric or gastrostomy tube placed at some point during their treatment. Five patients (3.6%) had feeding tubes placed perioperatively (<4 weeks after TORS), of which 3 were nasogastric tubes. Six patients (4.3%) had feeding tubes placed in the periadjuvant treatment setting for multifactorial reasons; 5 of which were gastrostomy tubes. Only 1 patient (0.7%) was gastrostomy dependent 1 year after surgery. Multiple logistic regression did not demonstrate any significant predictive variables affecting perioperative feeding tube placement following TORS for OPSCC. CONCLUSIONS: Feeding tubes are seldom required after TORS for early-stage OPSCC. With appropriate multidisciplinary planning and care, patients may reliably avoid the need for feeding tube placement following TORS for OPSCC.

Assessing functional outcomes in head and neck surgical oncology.

BACKGROUND: A reliable method of measuring functional outcomes is essential to inform treatment decisions in head and neck cancer. METHODS: Members of the American Head and Neck Society were surveyed regarding their use of functional outcome assessment tools. Qualitative statistical analysis was performed to identify major tools used and to clarify obstacles to functional outcome assessment. A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify available tools. RESULTS: A total of 142 surgeons were surveyed. 44.12% of respondents use at least 1 tool to assess functional outcomes. The most frequently used tools were modified barium swallow, MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory, and functional endoscopic evaluation of swallow (FEES). 72.65% of respondents reported barriers to assessment, most frequently a lack of support to administer the tests or to collect, apply or analyze the results. Review of the literature revealed 173 available tools. CONCLUSIONS: Although a wide variety of validated tools are available in the literature to assess functional outcomes after head and neck surgery, major obstacles to their use persist. The lack of a standard measure that is practical and transferable continues to impair research progression in this field.

Human papilloma virus-related oropharyngeal cancer: opportunities and challenges in dysphagia management.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human papilloma virus (HPV) has emerged as the most common cause of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) compared with traditional causes of excess alcohol and tobacco use. In this article, we will discuss HPV-related OPC and the challenges and opportunities presented in dysphagia management relative to efforts to de-escalate treatment and improve outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: It is becoming increasingly apparent that patients with HPV-positive disease appear to respond favourably to chemoradiation. Targeted chemoradiation is associated with severe early and late toxicities related to swallow function. Research is in progress to ascertain the benefit of treatment de-escalation with a particular focus on swallowing outcomes. Patients are younger and, with the improved outcomes reported in the literature, surviving longer with the consequences of their treatment. Given the changing demographic of this patient group, there are a number of opportunities to optimize swallowing outcomes, and this should be underpinned by detailed swallowing evaluation and counselling prior to treatment. A number of strategies have been suggested to improve swallowing outcomes; however, persisting and late-onset swallowing effects continue to be a risk. Transoral surgery is evolving as an option for the treatment of HPV-positive disease; however, more studies are required to understand functional outcomes. SUMMARY: Clinical trials are now underway to ascertain the effectiveness of tailored treatments for HPV-positive OPC with a focus on swallowing outcomes. It is encouraging that studies are now including detailed, multidimensional swallowing evaluation. Until such time as longitudinal data are available, patients should be treated by speech-language pathologists based on existing radiation treatment protocols and in the knowledge that patients may experience significant late swallowing difficulties.

Clinical factors predicting for prolonged enteral supplementation in patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiation.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine the pre-treatment clinical factors associated with prolonged enteral feeding in patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and nine patients with stage III-IVB oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with definitive chemoradiation were analyzed. Feeding tube usage was defined as the duration of active usage for nutritional purposes. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 4.4 years and median feeding tube usage was 2.5 months. On multivariate analysis, increasing duration of feeding tube usage was associated with narcotic use before treatment (p = 0.04), living alone at the time of treatment (p = 0.04), and larger pre-treatment decrease in body-mass index (p = 0.01). Prolonged feeding tube usage was associated with decreased overall survival (p = 0.06) and disease-free survival (p = 0.02) in univariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: By identifying patients at risk for prolonged feeding tube usage, aggressive measures can be attempted to prevent feeding tube dependence.

Pharyngoesophageal stricture after treatment for head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report the risk of pharyngoesophageal stricture after treatment for head and neck cancer. METHODS: Human studies on radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for head and neck cancer published in peer-reviewed journals with assessment of pharyngoesophageal stricture with barium swallow or endoscopy were included. RESULTS: A total of 4727 patients from 26 studies treated between 1989 and 2008 were eligible for analysis. The reported overall risk of stricture was 7.2%. The risks of pharyngoesophageal stricture in both conventional and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) studies were 5.7% and 16.7%, respectively (p < .001). Use of concurrent (p < .001) and taxane (p = .01) chemotherapy was associated with the IMRT technique. Prospective studies reported a 3.3-fold increased risk of stricture compared with that of retrospective studies (odds ratio: 3.3; 95% confidence interval: 2.3-4.8; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Pharyngoesophageal stricture after IMRT and chemotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer is not uncommon. Videofluoroscopic swallow study should be performed prospectively to evaluate swallowing function.