Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep;42(9):2390-2396.
doi: 10.1002/hed.26250. Epub 2020 May 23.

Eat All Through Radiation Therapy (EAT-RT): Structured therapy model to facilitate continued oral intake through head and neck radiotherapy-User acceptance and content validation

Katherine A Hutcheson  1   2 , Andrea Gomes  3 , Veronica Rodriguez  4 , Denise Barringer  1 , Maisha Khan  4 , Rosemary Martino  4   5   6   7
Affiliations

Eat All Through Radiation Therapy (EAT-RT): Structured therapy model to facilitate continued oral intake through head and neck radiotherapy-User acceptance and content validation

Katherine A Hutcheson et al. Head Neck. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Background: To develop and examine user acceptance and content validity of a structured program to facilitate safe but challenging oral intake during radiotherapy (RT) delivered by a speech language pathologist (SLP)-the Eat-All Through Radiation Therapy (EAT-RT) program.

Methods: EAT-RT was developed through expert consensus of SLPs at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Canada) and M D Anderson Cancer Center using a conceptual framework of a diet hierarchy and a mealtime routine. EAT-RT was refined by practicing SLPs, and then disseminated for a 4-week clinical pilot at seven sites who were subsequently invited to participate in an online survey.

Results: Twelve SLPs from six sites piloted EAT-RT therapy with a median of eight patients (IQR: 2-15) before and/or during RT. All SLPs reported EAT-RT added value to their practice, harmonized well with exercises, and its content was helpful; 11 (92%) reported EAT-RT facilitated patient understanding and indicated the desire to continue using EAT-RT.

Conclusion: The EAT-RT program was accepted by North American SLPs. The findings support the content and value of EAT-RT to facilitate oral intake in patients with head and neck cancer throughout RT.

Keywords: dysphagia; head and neck cancer; radiation; supportive care; swallowing therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Hunter KU, Schipper M, Feng FY, et al. Toxicities affecting quality of life after chemo-IMRT of oropharyngeal cancer: prospective study of patient-reported, observer-rated, and objective outcomes. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2013;85(4):935-940.
    1. Hutcheson KA, Nurgalieva Z, Zhao H, et al. Two-year prevalence of dysphagia and related outcomes in head and neck cancer survivors: an updated SEER-Medicare analysis. Head Neck. 2019;41(2):479-487.
    1. Xu B, Boero IJ, Hwang L, et al. Aspiration pneumonia after concurrent chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Cancer. 2015;121:1303-1311.
    1. Carnaby-Mann G, Crary MA, Schmalfuss I, Amdur R. "Pharyngocise": randomized controlled trial of preventative exercises to maintain muscle structure and swallowing function during head-and-neck chemoradiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012;83(1):210-219.
    1. Kotz T, Federman AD, Kao J, et al. Prophylactic swallowing exercises in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation: a randomized trial. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012;138(4):376-382.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources