Late radiation-associated dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients: evidence, research and management

In the last decades there has been a significant progress in treatment modalities of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, especially in radiation therapy (RT) field. Globally, RT improved from three-dimensional to intensity modulated RT (IMRT) technique, which showed to be more effective in terms of target volume coverage and organs at risk (OAR) sparing [1]. Since IMRT plus concomitant chemotherapy – the standard treatment in locally advanced disease – improves survival outcomes achieved after RT alone, as well as increases side effects, great interest has been shown in the clinical evaluation of late RT-related toxicity [2].
Source: Oral Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research