Most patients treated to a high dose have trouble swallowing, initially a sore throat and in some cases long term problems with swallowing. Short term solutions may require a feeding tube (PEG tube or percutaneous endoscopic gastrotomy) and long term may require speech therapy (to retrain muscles) or dilation (if there is a stricture).
Patients getting high dose radiation combined with chemotherapy have the most problems.
Patients should try to keep swallowing something (water or pop cycles) during the radiationto keep the muscles active and the radiation dose should be focused away from the throat muscles and larynx if possible. here, here, here
Definitions and delineations of the swallowing muscles of the swallowing apparatus on a sagital computed tomography slice.
