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How do you manage chronic radiation laryngeal edema for patients treated with RT for a larynx primary in the past?

Aside from smoking cessation, what interventions have you found useful to manage patients with chronic symptomatic laryngeal edema? Steroids seem to be a short term fix...
3 Answers
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Radiation Oncology · Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center
Answered on

I agree with @Dr. First Last's response above. I think it is important to differentiate between laryngeal edema resulting from RT and persisting as a sub-acute toxicity, as opposed to a patient who was treated in the past for larynx cancer and then develops laryngeal edema unexpectedly. In the forme...

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Radiation Oncology · University of Maryland School of Medicine
Answered on

This is a challenging topic for which we lack solid evidence based recommendations. Lymphedema can manifest both in the soft tissues of the neck, as well as in the larynx. I always encourage patients to get in early with a certified lymphedema therapist for management. Emerging technologies such as ...

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Radiation Oncology · HCA South Atlantic
Answered on

Thankfully, with better treatment planning, treatment related laryngeal edema is less common nowadays, but I agree with the other answers that it is important first to rule out recurrent disease in patients with persistent edema with referred otalgia, odynophagia or suspicious exam/imaging. Continue...

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