Cancer Research Lab

Aspiration is very common in patients with advanced head and neck cancer, is more severe following chemoradiation therapy, and is often without symptoms, according to Illinois-based researchers.

“We found that aspiration of food and/or liquids was highly prevalent at baseline, and became worse shortly after treatment,” senior investigator Dr. Kerstin M. Stenson said.

Dr. Stenson, Dr. Alexander Langerman, and colleagues at the University of Chicago examined data on 118 patients taking part in a larger study and reported their findings in the December issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

Sixty-nine percent of this group, within the first year after chemoradiotherapy, underwent at least one oropharyngeal motility study that demonstrated either trace or frank (greater than 5%) aspiration.

In all, 25% of patients had frank aspiration. Aspiration was significantly more likely in patients with cancer of the larynx and hypopharynx.

However, continued Dr. Stenson, “we believe that the most significant finding of the study was the fact that 75% of patients who aspirated had no symptoms.”

In light of this, “we recommend that advanced head and neck cancer patients undergo swallowing evaluations before, during and after their cancer treatment in order to assess aspiration risk and to institute therapy,” she said.