Evaluation of swallowing disorders by use of transnasal esophagoscopy in patients treated for head and neck cancer.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to identify an index of symptoms and signs of swallowing disorders that indicate the occurrence of local recurrence or second primary malignancy and to evaluate the application of transnasal esophagoscopy in patients treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Patients treated for HNSCC with swallowing disorders who received transnasal esophagoscopy examinations between January 2010 and June 2014 were included in this study. Local recurrence and second primary malignancy were pathologically diagnosed. In total, 136 patients were examined and one-third of them had local recurrence or second primary malignancy. Thirty-two patients had local recurrence and 14 patients had second primary malignancy. Common swallowing disorders and objective transnasal esophagoscopy findings were similar between the patients with and without local recurrence or second primary malignancy. No definite index of symptoms and signs was an indicator of local recurrence or second primary malignancy in the patients treated for HNSCC. Routine transnasal esophagoscopy examination of patients treated for HNSCC with swallowing disorders is strongly recommended. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1137-E1143, 2016.