Postoperative Rehabilitation For Patients With Head And Neck Cancer

Abstract

Since April 2002, a speech therapist (ST) has been participating in rehabilitation for postoperative difficulty in swallowing and articulation of patients with oral and/or oropharyngeal cancer at Kobe University Hospital. Before surgery, the ST gives a brief lecture to the patients on the postoperative rehabilitation. At the beginning of the rehabilitation, the ST evaluates the ability to swallow of the patients, with head and neck surgeons using videoendoscopy. This paper describes the contents of the lecture and its advantages. Actual examples of training procedures without food (indirect approach) and eating training (direct approach) for cancer of the tongue and oropharyngeal cancer are also presented according to the extent of surgery. © 2005, Japan Society for Head and Neck Cancer. All rights reserved.