Time to Onset of Dysphagia Following Head and Neck Radiation

To evaluate the time of onset of dysphagia in a cohort of head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation or chemoradiation. Retrospective chart review of adult patients. 237 patients met inclusion criteria for the study. The average age at cancer diagnosis was 62 years (± 12.6) in a predominantly male cohort (n = 198, 83.5%). The most common subsite was oropharyngeal (n = 146, 60.8%) and squamous cell carcinoma in origin (n = 232, 97.9%). Of head and neck cancer patients diagnosed with new onset dysphagia or a dysphagia related diagnosis, nine (3.8%) were diagnosed at six months to 1 year, 12 (5.1%) at 1-2 years, and 17 (7.1%) at greater than 2 years. The mean radiation dose to the larynx was 43.8 Gy (Gy) (± 14.5) and statistically significant across time the periods (p = 0.018, η2 = 0.161). No difference was found between age, HPV status, T stage, smoking history, or tumor site. The majority of head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiation who developed dysphagia did so within the acute time period (during treatment and up to 6 months post treatment). However, a substantial proportion of patients also developed dysphagia in later time periods (16%). The incidence of dysphagia in certain time periods may be impacted by laryngeal radiation dose. Therefore, we recommend long term monitoring/screening of these patients so early intervention can occur.