Neck Disability and Swallowing Function in Posttreatment Head and Neck Cancer Patients

• Published in: Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery Vol. 163; no. 4; p. 763
• Main Authors: Harris, Alexandria, Lyu, Lingyun, Wasserman-Winko, Tamara, George, Susan, Johnson, Jonas T, Nilsen, Marci Lee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.10.2020
• Subjects: Aged; Cancer Survivors; Cross-Sectional Studies; Deglutition Disorders - classification; Deglutition Disorders - epidemiology; Deglutition Disorders - etiology; Deglutition Disorders - rehabilitation; Disability Evaluation; Female; Head and Neck Neoplasms - complications; Head and Neck Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery; Humans; Linear Models; Male; Middle Aged; Neck Pain - epidemiology; Neck Pain - etiology; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Prevalence; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; head and neck surgery; neck disability; swallowing; head and neck cancer; quality of life
• ISSN: 1097-6817
• DOI: 10.1177/0194599820923630

To examine the relationship between symptoms of neck disability and swallowing dysfunction among head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. Cross-sectional analysis. Single-center, university-affiliated HNC survivorship clinic. Survivors' patient-reported symptoms of neck disability and swallowing dysfunction were prospectively collected from March 2017 to May 2018. Neck disability and swallowing dysfunction were measured using the Neck Disability Index and Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), respectively. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between neck disability and swallowing dysfunction. A total of 179 survivors, predominantly male (n = 130, 72.6%) with an average age of 64.64 ± 9.91 years, were included in the analysis. Primary cancer sites were oropharynx (n = 85, 47.5%), oral cavity (n = 59, 33.0%), and larynx/hypopharynx (n = 35, 19.5%). Mean EAT-10 score was 10.07 ± 10.89 (range = 0-40; >2 indicative of swallowing dysfunction). Survivors treated for early stage cancer had lower EAT-10 scores than those with advanced stage (early = 3.55 ± 7.46; advanced = 11.95 ± 11.02, < .001). After controlling for age, time since treatment, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, and treatment modality, the EAT-10 score for patients with mild neck disability was 6.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.71-10.06; < .001) points higher than those without neck disability, and the score for those with moderate-complete neck disability was 13.65 (95% CI, 9.47-17.83; < .001) points higher than those without neck disability. Swallowing dysfunction is a commonly recognized effect of HNC treatment. The prevalence and burden of neck disability are shown to be highly correlated with swallowing dysfunction. These results support the need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitation interventions for patients with HNC.