Meta-analysis of the prevalence of dysphagia after treatment in patients with head and neck cancer
10.3760/cma.j.cn113030-20250407-00137
- VernacularTitle:头颈部肿瘤患者治疗后吞咽障碍患病率的meta分析
- Author:
Runfang GUO
1
;
Yiling LI
;
Wanwan QIAO
;
Jie JING
Author Information
1. 成都中医药大学护理学院，成都 610075
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Head and neck neoplasms;
Dysphagia;
Prevalence;
Meta-analysis
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology
2025;34(11):1094-1101
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To systematically evaluate the prevalence of dysphagia after treatment in patients with head and neck cancer.Methods:The Wanfang, CNKI, Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed databases were searched from their inception to May 2025. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. The pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as effect measures, with heterogeneity assessed using the I2 statistics. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by a leave-one-out approach, and publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test and funnel plots. Results:A total of 18 studies were included, comprising 2,518 patients with head and neck cancer, of whom 1,303 were diagnosed with dysphagia. The meta-analysis showed that the overall prevalence of dysphagia after treatment was 51.2% (95% CI: 42.2%-60.2%). Subgroup analysis indicated higher prevalence among males (49.8%, 95% CI: 35.6%-64.0%), Asian populations (57.7%, 95% CI: 36.8%-77.2%), tumors of the hypopharynx and larynx (45.7%, 95% CI: 39.3%-52.2%), stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ disease (46.3%, 95% CI: 34.9%-58.0%), patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (51.0%, 95% CI: 41.5%-60.4%), smokers (53.0%, 95% CI: 35.1%-70.6%), studies published in 2020 or earlier (51.9%, 95% CI: 38.3%-65.4%), high-quality studies (66.5%, 95% CI: 45.1%-84.9%), and patients with a post-treatment interval ≤6 months (60.7%, 95% CI: 41.8%-78.1%) (all P<0.001). Conclusions:The prevalence of dysphagia after treatment in patients with head and neck cancer is high, with significant variations related to gender, tumor site, disease stage, geographic region, treatment modality, smoking status, publication year, study quality, and post-treatment interval. Early screening and timely intervention are recommended to improve the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer.
