Management of dysphagia in head and neck cancer palliative care patients: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective. To verify the management of dysphagia in palliative care patients for head and neck cancer. Method. The search for articles was carried out in the Lilacs, Pubmed, Science Direct, Scielo and Scopus databases, there was no restriction on location and language, the period evaluated consisted of between 2000 and 2021. In the article selection process, a combination of based on the Medical Subject Heading Terms (MeSH). Four studies that obtained scores ≥ 6 points according to the protocol for qualitative scoring proposed by Pithon et al. (2015). Results. Three articles were admitted for the final analysis, all of which were included in the present research. In patients with advanced cancer, a variety of oral problems can significantly impact physical, social, and psychological well-being to varying degrees. Conclusion. The studies of the present review indicate that the relief of swallowing alterations and other symptoms can occur for most patients from treatment with palliative radiotherapy, postural maneuvers and diet modification. There is a management of swallowing changes and prevention of the deterioration of the oral condition and swallowing skills by the continuous assessment of the clinical signs of the oral condition, with immediate and early intervention.