Surgical variables affecting swallowing in patients treated for oral/oropharyngeal cancer.

Background: Postoperative swallowing function may be influenced by a number of treatment variables; this study examines the relationship of various treatment factors to measures of swallow function.

Methods: Swallowing was examined with the modified barium swallow procedure in 144 patients surgically treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer 3 months after healing. Univariate and multivariate correlations were used to examine the relationship between swallowing function and treatment.

Results: Percent tongue base resected and total volume resected were most often correlated with swallowing function in the univariate analyses. Multivariate analyses identified the following combinations with the strongest correlations: (1) percent tongue base resected and closure type for liquids; (2) percent tongue base resected and unreconstructed mandible for pastes; (3) total volume resected, percent lateral floor of mouth resected, and postoperative radiotherapy dose for masticated boluses.

Conclusions: Total volume resected and percent tongue base resected had a profound impact on postoperative swallowing function. Combinations of percent tongue base resected with other surgical variables had the strongest relationships with overall swallowing function.