Nutrition Support and Transition to Oral Intake in Cancer Patients with Dysphagia / 대한연하장애학회지

ABSTRACT

Dysphagia in cancer patients are mainly caused by brain tumor, head and neck cancer and esophageal cancer. Also both paralytic and mechanical dysphagia may occur with a high rate of malnutrition that has been reported. In cases when oral ingestion is impossible for a long time due to cancer treatments including surgery, decision should be made on if it may be an indication of nutrition support or not. In the case of nutrition support having to be initiated, the route and method of nutrition support must be determined. During enteral nutrition supply, we should predict and monitor probable complications according to the feeding rate depending on the change of patient's conditions, and if required, medication assistances may be needed. Through VFSE (Video fluoroscopic swallowing exam), when the transition to oral intake is carried out, nutritional supply should be monitored to plan the tapering and discontinuation of nutrition support. Since the effort of international standardization regarding dysphagia stage has been sustained, it is necessary to make the viscosity- and texture-based dysphagia diet standardization on the ground of clinical evidence in Korea, too.