İnvestigation of the Effect of Neck Endurance on Swallowing and Directional Coordination in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Head and neck cancers; oral cancers, pharyngeal cancers, laryngeal cancers, salivary gland cancers, and cancers involving the skin of the head and neck region. Head and neck cancer treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

Dysphagia, that is, difficulty in swallowing, is a symptom that affects the quality of life, which is often neglected in patients with head and neck cancer. 40% of patients suffer from dysphagia during and after treatment. Dysphagia causes serious complications such as aspiration, malnutrition and even death, in addition to causing increased health expenditures with a decrease in the quality of life.

Swallowing and respiration are two vital functions coordinated with each other, ensuring coordination is vital.

When the respiratory-swallowing relationship was examined in HNC patients, the patient's breathing was examined through swallowing apnea, but respiratory performance was not evaluated through intraoral pressure and respiratory function test.

Swallowing dysfunctions are frequently seen in patients with head and neck cancer, both due to the pathophysiology of the disease and because the treatments applied due to the localization of the tumor affect the head and neck region, and the quality of life is low because these patients cannot reach rehabilitative approaches. In studies on the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which are included in the treatment of head and neck cancer patients, it has been proven in the literature that it causes a decrease in swallowing performance and neck endurance over time.