Functional Swallowing Outcomes in Transoral Robotic Surgery Patients With and Without Adjuvant Treatment

Abstract

Dysphagia is an important consequence of cancer treatment and has overarching implications on quality of life. Using the FOIS, we demonstrated that swallowing function may be worse in the long term in patients with OPSCC undergoing triple therapy, although this finding did not reach statistical significance. This study emphasizes the importance of diligent selection in patients undergoing TORS to avoid poor functional swallowing outcomes, particularly in those that may need adjuvant chemoradiation therapy. A study with a larger sample size may determine the significance of these trends.