Xerostomia after radiotherapy in the head & neck area: long-term observations.

Messmer, Marc-Benjamin; Thomsen, Andreas; Kirste, Simon; Becker, Gerhild; Momm, Felix · Radiother Oncol · 2011

prospective_cohort · Level II

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Abstract

To investigate the development of xerostomia more than 5 years after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, a prospective longitudinal study was done. A xerostomia questionnaire was answered by 42 patients 41 and 90 months after radiotherapy: xerostomia at rest did not change significantly over time whereas the difficulties with speaking improved and the difficulties with eating worsened. Subjective xerostomia does not reach a steady state even more than 5 years after radiotherapy.

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