THE EFFECT OF SURGICAL INTERVENTION FOR HEAD AND NECK-CANCER ON WHOLESALIVARY FLOW - A PILOT-STUDY

For many patients, rehabilitation and quality of life after treatment of head and neck cancer are issues that confront both them and their p hysicians. Various levels of xerostomia are often reported as one of t he side effects of treatment. This study evaluated the effects of surg ical intervention (alone) that involve major salivary glands on whole salivary flow. Five subjects with head and neck cancer who lost a subm andibular gland at surgery were evaluated before and after treatment t o determine resting and stimulated whole salivary flow rates. Three su bjects demonstrated a decrease in resting and three a decrease in stim ulated flow rates compared with pretreatment levels. Two subjects rebo unded to near or above presurgery flow rates. Although a trend was ide ntified for a decrease in resting and stimulated flow rates, the sampl e size was too small to statistically validate this trend. The decreas es in flow rates recorded at the last test were of insufficient magnit ude to elicit a complaint of xerostomia.