Treatment toxicities and their impact on oral intake following non-surgical management for head and neck cancer: a 3-year longitudinal study

Patients who receive (chemo)radiotherapy [(C)RT] for head and neck cancer (HNC) experience multiple treatment effects. However, the presence and recovery of treatment toxicities and how these impact on oral intake over time post-treatment are not fully understood. The primary aim of this study was to examine patient perceptions of the toxicities present and which are barriers to oral intake, up to 3\ua0years post (C)RT. The secondary aim was to identify mealtime strategies used to optimise oral intake.A prospective cohort of 96 patients after completion of (C)RT for HNC reported the presence of toxicities, if they were barriers to oral intake, and use of any mealtime strategies at the end of treatment (EoT), and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36\ua0months post-treatment.All toxicities and reported barriers changed over time (p