Dysphagia, nutritional status, and quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy alone or combined with chemotherapy: an observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Radiotherapy (RT) is the most common nonsurgical treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) and may or may not be combined with chemotherapy (CT). Dysphagia, characterized by impaired swallowing function, is one of the most common side effects of RT, occurring during and after RT, and may persist long after treatment.

Objective

To compare the evolution of dysphagia, nutritional status, and quality of life (QoL) in the periods immediately before and after RT for HNC in individuals who received only RT or combined RT/CT.

Methods

Prospective longitudinal observational study performed in a hospital of the Brazilian public health system. The individuals were allocated into two groups: RG (n = 20), consisting of patients who received only RT for HNC, and RCG (n =

SUBMITTER: Gomes MCMF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887319 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature