Swallowing dysfunction in head and neck cancer patients treated by radiotherapy: Review and recommendations of the supportive task group of the Italian Association of Radiation Oncology

Sepsis in head and neck cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and radiation: Literature review and consensus

“…The panel adopted the nomenclature and definitions for terms used by 2001 International Sepsis Definitions [46,47] and alcohol [48] consumption, malnutrition [82,157], swallowing impairment with aspiration [45], chemotherapy-induced neutropenia [39,158,159], disruption of physiological barriers as a consequence of radiodermitis and mucositis [40,160], gingival pockets and dental caries [161][162][163][164], age [12,165,166], co-morbidities such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [166], and the presence of central venous catheters, gastrostomy and tracheostomy are at a higher risk of infections. Conference (i.e.…”

“…1). During CRT, HNCPs have a number of conditions predisposing to infection [45], making them extremely at risk.…”

“…Other authors [126,127] showed that the most common causes of non-cancer-associated morbidities/death are respiratory diseases. Indeed, aspiration of colonized oropharyngeal contents into the lower respiratory tract can be due to HNCPs' swallowing dysfunction [45,128]. Thus, pneumonia in HNCPs should be considered and treated according to the health-care acquired pneumonia (HCAP) criteria due to the frequent involvement of multidrug resistance organisms [121].…”

Delineation of the larynx as organ at risk in radiotherapy: a contouring course within “Rete Oncologica Piemonte-Valle d’Aosta” network to reduce inter- and intraobserver variability

“…The radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer can be frequently complicated by swallowing dysfunction, xerostomia, dysphonia, and soft tissue fibrosis, affecting the general dimension of quality of life [1][2][3]. To improve tumour local control with lower toxicities, a detailed accuracy in delineating target volumes and OARs is required.…”

“…The larynx is involved in complex mechanisms related to swallowing, respiration, and phonation and its irradiation can develop treatmentrelated sequelae [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Nevertheless, there is no evidence in the literature data regarding the most appropriate delineation approach for this structure on planning Computed Tomography (CT) images and the consequent relationship between the absorbed dose and chronic dysfunctions [4,6,7,10,[13][14][15][16].…”