A prospective longitudinal assessment of MRI signal intensity kinetics of non-target muscles in patients with advanced stage oropharyngeal cancer in relationship to radiotherapy dose and post-treatment radiation-associated dysphagia: Preliminary findings from a randomized trial

In the modern era, favorable oncologic and survival outcomes are achieved for many patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with curative-intent radiotherapy (RT) [1 –3], particularly for those with human papilloma virus (HPV) associated disease [4,5]. Consequently, there is now substantial emphasis on reduction of late radiation toxicities for the ever increasing numbers of long-term survivors [5]. As burden of xerostomia is partially mitigated by the use of more conformal treatment techniques such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and proton therapy [6–8], dysphagia has overtaken as a primary driver of quality of life in HNSCC survivorship [9].
Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Original article Source Type: research