Pretreatment swallowing assessment in head and neck cancer patients.

Objectives/hypothesis: To discuss patient variables associated with swallowing dysfunction in head and neck cancer (HNCA) patients prior to intervention.

Study Design: Prospective, multi-institutional cohort study.

Methods: All patients included had newly diagnosed head and neck malignancies.

A randomized preventive rehabilitation trial in advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy: feasibility, compliance, and short-term effects.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of (preventive) rehabilitation on swallowing and mouth opening after concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Forty-nine patients with advanced oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx, or nasopharynx cancer treated with CCRT were randomized into a standard (S) or an experimental (E) preventive rehabilitation arm. Structured multidimensional assessment (i.

Factors associated with nonparticipation in one-year quality-of-life assessment in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives/hypothesis: To identify factors associated with nonparticipation in long-term quality-of-life (QOL) analysis in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) patients.

Study Design: Restrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Methods: Two hundred sixty-one previously untreated HNSCC patients were prospectively evaluated using the University of Washington QOL questionnaire.

Effect of comorbidity on post-treatment quality of life scores in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives/hypothesis: To determine the effect of comorbidity on 1-year post-treatment quality of life (QOL) in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC).

Methods: One hundred twenty-five previously untreated HNSCC patients participated in longitudinal QOL analysis over a 28-month period. The University of Washington QOL questionnaire, Performance Status Scale, and Karnofsky score were used to measure QOL.

Perceptual characteristics of Parkinsonian speech: a comparison of the pharmacological effects of levodopa across speech and non-speech motor systems.

The purpose of this study was to: (1) define perceptual speech characteristics of idiopathic Parkinson disease (IPD) across 35 speech dimensions adapted from Darley et al. [19] and grouped under six speech-sign clusters (respiration, phonation, resonance, articulation, prosody and rate); (2) examine the effects of levodopa on the 35 perceptual speech dimensions and speech-sign clusters; and (3) to compare the relative effectiveness of levodopa on global motor functioning vs. speech production.