Nutritional status is well-known to influence patient recovery after resection of head and neck cancer (HNC). The influence of preoperative nutritional status on dysphagia was assessed in patients who underwent surgical resection of HNC along with the assessment of nutritional status during the acute and subacute phases. Eighty-six patients underwent surgical resection and dysphagia assessments (repetitive saliva-swallowing test, water-swallowing test, and functional oral intake scale) and had their tongue pressure assessed five times (before surgery, after 1-2 weeks, and 1, 2, and 3 months after surgery). The nutritional status was assessed according to the body mass index, total protein, and albumin. The prognostic nutritional index was calculated from preoperative data, and the subjects were classified into three groups: Low-risk, Attention and High-risk groups. After surgery, the nutritional status index values were low, and the High-risk group showed significantly lower values in comparison to the other two groups. The water-swallowing test and functional oral intake scale findings were worse than they had been preoperatively until 2 months after surgery, and a significant correlation was noted between the postoperative nutritional status and the presence of dysphagia. The results indicated that the preoperative nutritional status of HNC patients influenced their ability to ingest/swallow, which in turn influenced their nutritional status after HNC resection.
Keywords: dysphagia; head and neck cancer; nutritional status; prognostic nutritional index.