This project proposes to define the effects of organ preservation protocols involving high dose radiotherapy (5000+ cGy) with or without chemotherapy on tongue strength and swallowing function in 50 oral tongue and tongue base cancer patients with previously untreated Stages II to IV disease, and to measure the effectiveness of swallow maneuvers in improving the swallow. Each patient will be followed for 12 months after treatment completion. All patients will be studied pretreatment, and at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post completion of chemoradiotherapy. At each of these data collection points, each patient will receive a videofluoroscopic assessment of swallowing and an assessment of tongue strength. The radiographic studies of swallowing will be analyzed in detail for the physiologic swallowing disorders present, and the temporal and biomechanical characteristics of the swallow. Each patient's response to swallow maneuvers will be defined.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 54 publications