The Essentials: Dysphagia and Head and Neck Cancer

Video Runtime: 37 Minutes; Learning Assessment Runtime: 23 Minutes

Dysphagia is a symptom, not a disease unto itself. Difficulty swallowing can be a symptom of a wide variety of medical diagnoses. The underlying diagnosis is a critical factor to consider when developing a treatment approach. Dysphagia clinicians must guard against a “one-size-fits-all” approach and instead develop an understanding of the causative factors and pathophysiology of swallowing disorders in each disease process.

This course will discuss dysphagia in the setting of head and neck cancer. The characteristics of dysphagia in patients with head and neck cancer will be reviewed in the settings of chemotherapy, radiation, and combined therapies. Specific considerations for assessment of these patients will be discussed, including impacts of pain, mucosal injury, and disuse atrophy. The evidence base for treatment strategies specific to head and neck cancer issues will be examined, with a focus on the importance of exercise, and participants will be provided with an opportunity for problem-solving through case review.

This course is appropriate for dysphagia clinicians working in medical settings, including acute care, outpatient rehabilitation, inpatient rehabilitation, and long-term care.