Assessment and management of late radiation‐associated dysphagia after treatment for head and neck cancer: A scoping review and survey of UK speech and language therapists

作者：Diane Sellstrom, Catherine Haighton, Tracy Finch, James O’Hara, Joanne Patterson · 发表于：International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/1460-6984.13154 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Dysphagia Assessment and Management、Oral health in cancer treatment、Head and Neck Cancer Studies

BACKGROUND: Late side effects of head and neck cancer treatment commonly affect swallowing function. Late radiation-associated dysphagia (late-RAD) often presents years post-treatment when patients have been discharged from their multidisciplinary team. Timely symptom management may provide important physical and emotional support, potentially reducing the overall healthcare burden. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are key in the assessment and management of dysphagia but there is no current guidance in the late-RAD setting. AIMS: The primary objective was to establish how late-RAD is assessed in both existing literature and by UK SLT. The study also aimed to explore UK SLT approaches to management. METHODS: A dual methodology approach was taken. A scoping review (SR) of PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science and Embase databases was conducted between November and December 2022. Eligibility criteria included studies reporting dysphagia outcomes >2 years post-treatment with narrative data synthesis. Also, a survey of SLTs working in the United Kingdom was conducted between November 2023 and February 2024. Respondents were questioned about their current pathways and service provision for patients with late-RAD. MAIN CONTRIBUTION: The SR included 39 studies. Dysphagia was assessed using three different toxicity grades; five patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and five clinical assessments. Five studies were multidimensional in their approach to data collection, whilst...