December 2021

ENT

EVALUATING DYSPHAGIA AND XEROSTOMIA OUTCOMES FOLLOWING TRANSORAL ROBOTIC SURGERY FOR PATIENTS WITH OROPHARYNGEAL CANCER

Featuring: ​ Urjeet Patel, MD, Katelyn O Stepan, MD, Sandeep Samant, MD
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Read the full study here.

​​​Abstract
Background: ​Northwestern Medicine researchers assessed long-term patient-reported dysphagia and xerostomia outcomes following definitive surgical management with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) via a cross-sectional survey study.

Methods: Patients with OPC managed with primary oropharyngeal surgery as definitive treatment at least 1 year ago between 2015 and 2019 were identified. The M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and Xerostomia Inventory (XI) scores were compared across treatment types (i.e., no adjuvant therapy [TORS-A] vs. adjuvant radiotherapy [TORS+RT] vs. adjuvant chemoradiotherapy [TORS+CT/RT]).

Results: The sample had 62 patients (10 TORS-A, 30 TORS+RT, 22 TORS+CT/RT). TORS-A had clinically and statistically significantly better MDADI scores than TORS+RT (p = 0.03) and TORS+CT/RT (p = 0.02), but TORS+RT and TORS+CT/RT were not significantly different. TORS-A had clinically and statistically significantly less XI than TORS+RT (p < 0.01) and TORS+CT/RT (p < 0.01).
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Conclusions: Patients with OPC who have undergone TORS+RT or TORS+CT/RT following surgery face clinically worse dysphagia and xerostomia outcomes relative to patients who undergo TORS-A.

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This abstract was originally published in Journal of the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck on December 2021. ​
Urjeet Patel, MD, professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. 
Bruce K Tan, MD headshot

Katelyn O Stepan, MD, assistant professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Sandeep Samant, MD, professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

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