Swallowing Exercises: Will They Really Help Head and Neck Cancer Patients?

Abstract

Purpose: The work was a comparative study, the aim of which is to evaluate the impact of swallowing exercises on<br />swallowing problems among head and neck cancer patients (HNCPs) after CRT. Methods: The sample of 60 HNCPs<br />was equally divided into control and study groups. The investigators met all patients 3 times (before, during and after<br />CRT); swallowing ability was assessed using the Sydney Swallowing Questionnaire (SSQ). The University of Texas,<br />MD Anderson Cancer Center Swallowing Exercise Protocol was explained and demonstrated by the investigators to<br />the study group. All tools used were translated into Arabic. Data analyses were carried out using the statistical package<br />for social sciences (SPSS), program version 20. Results: Most of the patients from both groups experienced mild<br />dysphagia during the 1st visit. By the 3rd visit, severe dysphagia (to thin and thick liquids, and soft and hard food)<br />was higher in the control group (73.3%) compared to the study group (26.7%). By the third visit there was statistically<br />significant difference between both groups in swallowing thin liquids (p = 0.01), as well as thick liquids (p = 0.01).<br />At the 1st visit, there was no significant difference regarding swallowing soft food (p = 0.24), hard food (p = 0.17),<br />dry food (p = 0.89) and swallowing Saliva (p = 0.28). While by the 3rd visit, there was significant difference between<br />control and study groups in all parameters. Conclusions: Adequate prevention and treatment of dysphagia, with use<br />of swallowing programs, is essential to plan a complete therapeutic programme.