Aspectos epidemiológicos e fonoaudiológicos de pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço em tratamento oncológico

Abstract

Head and neck cancer is the fifth most frequent type of cancer in the world and encompasses malignant neoplasms of the upper aerodigestive pathways (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, nasal cavity, thyroid, and salivary glands. The objective of the present study was to characterize the epidemiological profile and to describe aspects of the speech-language intervention in individuals with head and neck cancer, during and after treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy with a university hospital. This is an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study using a quantitative method. Inclusion criteria were all patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer who underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy concurrently between March and December 2017. They were attended at a University Hospital. The data of the study were obtained through the physical records of the mentioned hospital and electronics available in the Management Application for University Hospitals (AGHU) of the Brazilian Company of Hospital Services (EBSERH). The sample consisted of 43 patients, 36 men and 7 women, with a mean age of 60 years, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 82 years, mostly with incomplete level of schooling, former tobacco and alcohol users, with localization of the tumor mainly in larynx and oropharynx. Most of the individuals in this study received speech therapy during oncological treatment, were exclusively orally fed and did not use a tracheostomy. These patients presented alterations in the structures that involve speech, swallowing and voice. For this reason the speech-language pathology is a necessity in this type of CA, since it contributes to reestablish processes involved in food and communication.