Background: Treatment for tumors of the oral cavity and the oropharynx disrupts normal swallow function. The ability for oral diet postoperatively varies and may be influenced by surgery and patient-related factors.
Methods: In all, 114 patients treated with surgery with and without chemoradiotherapy for advanced oral/oropharyngeal cancer were recruited. Clinicopathologic tumor parameters and reconstruction modalities were recorded. Swallow function was determined by oral intake, using the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) pretreatment and posttreatment.
Results: The median time to first attaining swallow function was 14 days. Patients were less likely to attain tube independence within 1 year of surgery if they received radiotherapy or had a low FOIS score preoperatively. Patients' time to first attaining swallow function postsurgery was inversely related to the FOIS score presurgery.
Conclusions: Swallow function recovery postsurgery is better in patients with higher FOIS presurgery, smaller tumors, and no requirement for radiotherapy.
Keywords: head and neck cancer; oral cancer; radiotherapy; reconstruction; swallow.
Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.