Researchers at the University of Chicago have evaluated data on 118 patients and reported that aspiration is common in those with advanced head and neck cancer. They also found that aspiration is more severe following chemoradiation therapy.

Kerstin M. Stenson, M.D., and colleagues found that 69 percent of patients participating in a large study who had received chemotherapy demonstrated either trace or frank aspiration within the first year following the treatment. Most significant was the finding that 75 percent of patients who aspirated showed no symptoms. The researched recommend that advanced head and neck cancer patients receive swallowing evaluations before, during and after treatment to assess aspiration risk and to initiate therapy as appropriate.

The study appeared in the December issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.