Oncology Rehabilitation

The Role of Speech Therapy in Head & Neck Cancer Survivorship

ByKarenYarumian,MSCCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathology works with patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers to provide therapy before, during, and after cancer treatment. It is more than just talking. Speech Therapy can include voice, speech and language, as well as cognition to you during this process.

Before-Treatment:

 Checking out how your body swallows before any cancer treatment

 Starting swallowing exercises to help keep your swallowing muscles as strong and mobile as possible.

 We’ll teach you ways you can prevent choking on food or beverages.

 We’ll teach you how to keep your mouth as clean as possible to reduce risk of pneumonia.

 We will discuss some potential diet changes to consider.

During Treatment:

 We will continue to monitor your swallow.

 X-Rays can be performed to determine how well you are swallowing and safe diet consistency or thickness.

 We can work on swallowing exercises to make your swallow as strong as possible.

 We can review any diet modifications with you.

 We can work with you to ensure your mouth stays clean to reduce risk of pneumonia.

Post Treatment:

 Helping you swallow food as much like you did before treatment as possible. Sometimes doing some training with family helps!

 We will adjust exercises for strength and range of motion post- treatment.

 Sometimes X-Rays are helpful after treatment to determine how well you are swallowing and see if diet consistency or thickness needs to change.

 We will continue to support you in your recovery.

To set up a visit with a Speech-Language Pathologist, patients can request a Speech Therapy referral from their primary care provider or oncologist.