Intervention Effect Of Swallowing Training On Dysphagia During Radiotherapy For Head And Neck Cancers

Objective:Retrospective explore the effect of swallowing training on dysphagia during radiotherapy in head and neck cancers.Methods:From October 2021 to December 2022,40 patients with head and neck cancers who underwent radiotherapy in the Department of Radiology,the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were selected as the study subjects.They were divided into intervention group and control group based on whether they received swallowing training,with 21 patients in the intervention group and 19 patients in the control group.The control group received general nursing and health education for swallowing during the treatment period.The intervention group received swallowing training on the basis of the control group.The training was started the day before the first radiotherapy for 6 weeks.To collect and analyze the swallowing function scores before and at 2,4,and 6 weeks of radiotherapy,and the oral feeding function,quality of life and nutritional status scores before and at 6weeks of radiotherapy.Results:In the intervention group,14 people(66.7%)developed dysphagia,while in the control group,19 people(100%)developed dysphagia after radiotherapy.Intragroup analysis: In the intervention group,there was no significant difference in swallowing function at three time points before,2,and 6 weeks of radiotherapy(P>0.05),while the score at 4 weeks of radiotherapy was significantly lower than that before,2,and6 weeks of radiotherapy(P<0.05).In the control group,there was no significant difference in swallowing function between 2 weeks of radiotherapy and before radiotherapy(P>0.05),while the score at 4 and 6 weeks of radiotherapy were significantly lower than those before radiotherapy and 2 weeks of radiotherapy(P<0.05).There was no significant difference between 4 and 6 weeks of radiotherapy(P>0.05).The oral feeding function,quality of life,and nutritional status of both groups decreased significantly compared to those before radiotherapy(P<0.001).Intergroup analysis: Before and after 2 weeks of radiotherapy,there was no significant difference in swallowing function between the two groups(P>0.05).However,at 4 and 6weeks of radiotherapy,the swallowing function of the intervention group was significantly better than that of the control group(P<0.001),and the most significantly difference was in the incidence of retention and aspiration during the pharyngeal period.At 6 weeks of radiotherapy,there was no significant difference in oral feeding function and quality of life between the two groups(P>0.05),while the nutritional status of the intervention group was significantly better than that of the control group,with the most significantly difference in eating status and self-symptoms(P<0.05).Conclusion:1.Swallowing function decreases progressively during radiotherapy,with the fastest decrease occurring between 2-4 weeks of radiotherapy.2.Swallowing training can improve the swallowing function of radiotherapy patients with head and neck cancer,slow down the occurrence of dysphagia,and reduce the risk of malnutrition,and it will take at least 4 weeks to achieve significant results.