How do you balance aspiration risks with encouraging PO intake for HN cancer patients during and after chemoradiation?

Topics: Head and Neck Cancers • Radiation Oncology • Medical Oncology

Encouraging aggressive PO intake in patients with swallowing dysfunction may place them at risk for aspiration pneumonia, especially risky if undergoing concurrent chemotherapy (i.e. patient's may be leukopenic).

Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution

The main challenge is to identify the patients who are most prone to aspirate during and after Tx. Chemo-RT-related aspiration is frequently “silent”: the patient does not recognize he/she aspirates, and neither does the observer. The risk of aspiration is assessed by modified barium swa...

Comments

Radiation Oncologist at West Virginia University
A succinct and timely reiteration reminding us tha...

Radiation Oncologist at University of Michigan
Regarding Dr. @Pollock's comment: A very recent pu...

Radiation Oncologist at Naval Medical Center San Diego
Thank you Dr. @Eisbruch. Should we be doing more, ...

Radiation Oncologist at Coastal Radiation Oncology
Subtle post treatment signs of silent aspiration m...

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