The 83rd book from the series by Advances in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology is another addition for the surgeon looking for an update in the management of hypopharyngeal carcinoma. The 180-page publication, divided into 16 chapters with 23 figures and 19 tables, has...
As a Macmillan Head and Neck Specialist Nurse, I was very pleased to be asked to review this book, The Laryngectomee Guide, by Itzhak Brook, MD. It is fair to say that for most laryngectomy patients, life does go on...
The authors retrospectively reviewed 44 patients who underwent a combined transoral and transcervical treatment without mandibulectomy for oropharyngeal malignancy. The combined approach was performed first by a neck dissection followed by transoral excision of the lesion and reconstruction by a...
This article presents the 10-year results of a single institution’s treatment of advanced laryngeal cancer. The institution established a protocol based on the Dutch Head and Neck Society consensus document on laryngeal cancer diagnostics and treatment published in 1991. This...
As a portable alternative to videofluoroscopy, fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is often carried out at the patient’s bedside. The authors of this paper have chosen to examine the reliability of the penetration-aspiration ratings (Rosenbek scale) of FEES examinations...
Most people experience belching as a normal phenomenon, often after eating or drinking carbonated drinks in particular. However, separate to this normal physiological phenomenon, some people experience belches that can occur much more frequently (up to 20 times a minute)...
This paper describes the barriers and facilitators to establishing a structured and coordinated multidisciplinary care pathway for patients with head and neck cancer at a medical centre in the USA. The initiative was set in motion by the roll out...
Standard treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is surgery, which includes either a total thyroidectomy or hemithyroidectomy. Surgery may then be followed by radioactive iodine treatment and, for some, treatment with thyroid hormone to suppress thyrotropin levels. All patients undergoing...
It has been noted that the presence of saliva in the pharynx and larynx during flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) can be an indicator of increased risk of aspiration and consequent pneumonia, as well as weight loss and malnutrition....
Recently, there has been increasing discussion in clinical meetings about the use of ionising radiation in swallowing assessments and the associated cancer risks. This is therefore a timely publication to inform discussions around whether reducing pulse rate from 30 pulses...
People treated with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer experience several acute and chronic effects of this treatment, of which fibrosis is perhaps the most common. Fibrosis occurs as a wound healing response and leads to scarring and reduced range...
Swallowing tablets can be challenging for many people, but particularly so for those with a diagnosis of dysphagia. As a result, many medications are prepared in alternate formats including liquid, dissolvable or orally disintegrating tablets that dissolve on contact with...