151751-Najiba-Chargi

314 CHAPTER 17 ABSTRACT Background The objective was to assess swallowing, mouth opening and speech function during the first year after radiation-based treatment (RT (+)) combined with a dedicated preventive rehabili - tation program for stage III-IV oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC). Material and Methods Swallowing, mouth opening, and speech function were collected before and at six- and twelve-month follow-up after RT (+) for OPC as part of ongoing prospective assessments by speech-language pathologists. Results Objective and patient-perceived function deteriorated until six months and improved until twelve months after treatment, but did not return to baseline levels with 25%, 20% and 58% of the patients with objective dysphagia, trismus and speech problems, respectively. Feeding tube dependency and pneumonia prevalence was low. Conclusion A substantial proportion of patients experience functional limitations after RT (+) for OPC, suggesting room for improvement of the current rehabilitation program. Pretreatment sarco - penia seems to be associated with worse functional outcomes and might be a relevant target for rehabilitation strategies.