Swallowing Problems in Post Irradiated NPC Patients

P Mok, RS Seshadri, JK Siow, SMF Lim
Correspondence: Dr Paul Mok, paul_mok@notes.ttsh.gov.sg

ABSTRACT
We present three patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) developing swallowing problems after radiotherapy as the primary modality of treatment. All patients had advanced stage NPC presenting with enlarged neck nodes and underwent radical external beam radiotherapy. All three patients had both CN X and CN XII palsies and had difficulty in both the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing. None of them has any clinical or radiological evidence of local recurrence in the post nasal space and neck or metastasis to the skull base. One patient underwent cricopharyngeal myotomy with epiglottopexy and hyoid suspension which failed and subsequently underwent laryngectomy. Another patient had medialisation thyroplasty and the third underwent a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG).

Keywords: swallowing problems, post irradiation, nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Singapore Med J 2001; 42(7): 312-316