The lived experience of dysphagia following non-surgical treatment for head and neck cancer

Abstract

Rehabilitation services which focus only on impairment based management, will fail to fully meet the support needs of this clinical population.3

Patient-reported outcomes following parotid-sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. How important is dysphagia?

“…The routine administration of HR-QoL questionnaires which have the sensitivity to detect the broader impact of dysphagia can support clinicians to identify those people who may require additional education and support as they adjust to living with swallowing difficulties following treatment [17]. In this cohort study, a significant reduction (worsening) in the group MDADI composite score was observed from baseline to 3, 6 and 12 months.…”

“…This has important therapeutic value in both the preparation and management of the patient throughout the rehabilitation process. Recent qualitative studies have highlighted the impact of dysphagia following non-surgical treatment for HNC and the importance of a patient-centred approach to swallowing rehabilitation that addresses not only the impairment, but also the persisting emotional and psychosocial consequences of dysphagia [17,22].…”

Listening to the voice of patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta‐synthesis

“…PRISMA flow diagram. *Nund et al () and Nund et al () were pooled because they reported different data and analysis from the same study…”

“…Treatment sequelae may compromise patients’ ability to speak or eat, thereby leading to a variety of functional limitations and special nutritional needs. Patients also may have to modify their daily and social lives, and experience feelings of shame (McQuestion, Fitch, & Howell, ; Moore, Ford, & Farah, ; Nund et al, ; Semple, Dunwoody, Kernohan, McCaughan, & Sullivan, ; Ward & van As‐Brooks, ). Relationships with others can cause insecurity and discomfort, as well as embarrassment, and patients perceive themselves as different from other people (Björklund, Sarvimaki, & Berg, ).…”

“…Relationships with others can cause insecurity and discomfort, as well as embarrassment, and patients perceive themselves as different from other people (Björklund, Sarvimaki, & Berg, ). In many cases, HNC compromises independence and autonomy, and patients are often forced to depend on caregivers, even to cope with simple daily activities (Björklund et al, ; Nund et al, ; Semple et al, ). Studies have explored the issues of the system used to assess malnutrition in HNC patients (Dechaphunkul et al, ), assessment and management of treatment side effects and their toxicities (George, Yom, & Wang, ; Pimentel, Filho, Araujo, Gomes, & Costa, ) and patients’ QoL (Bilal, Doss, Cella, & Rogers, 2; Rathod et al, ; Singer et al, ).…”