Physical Properties of Meals that are Suitable for Patients after Surgery to Treat Oral Cavity Cancers

Sep 24, 2026

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Objective assessment and practical guidance for postoperative oral cavity cancer swallowing are provided through an experimental study. Patients undergoing oral cancer surgery (Sep 2017–Jul 2018) were tested postoperatively before chemoradiation with six randomized food types varying in consistency (liquid, nectar-like, honey-like) and temperature (room 25ºC, cold 4ºC). Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) measured spillage, penetration/aspiration, and residues, with satisfaction recorded by VAS. Nectar-like thickened food at room temperature showed the safest FEES profile, while patients reported stronger preference for room-temperature liquid.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Objectives

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

RESEARCH ARTICLE Editorial Process: Submission:04/15/2022 Acceptance:03/15/2022 Physical Properties of Meals that are Suitable for Patients after Surgery to Treat Oral Cavity Cancers Pithiwat Wongwan, Phawin Keskool*, Sunun Ongard, Choakchai Metheetrairut Abstract Objectives: To determine proper characteristics of food which would be safe and satisfactory for swallowing in oral cavity cancer patients undergoing surgery and to create a recipe that provides adequate nutrients, energy, good taste, and can be easily made at home. Materials and methods: Patients who were enrolled in this study underwent oral cancer surgery in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital from September 2017 to July 2018. This experimental research was conducted postoperatively before receiving chemoradiation. Each type of food was prepared by the researchers to have a combination of two physical properties, which were 3 different consistencies (liquid, nectar-like, and honey-like) and 2 different temperatures (room temperature (25ºC) and cold temperature (4ºC)) . Each patient had to swallow six different types of prepared food by random sequences. Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) was used to evaluate objective swallowing function by 3 parameters, including premature oropharyngeal spillage, laryngeal penetration or aspiration, and post-swallow retaining residues. Satisfaction measurement was evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS). Results: There were 42 postoperative oral cavity cancer patients enrolled in this study. Subjects consisted of 23 males (54.8%) and 19 females (45.2%) with the mean age of 62 ± 13 years. Most patients had oral tongue carcinoma (64.3 %). FEES revealed nectar at room temperature was the safest with score of 0.83 ± 0.82 (possible score of 0-3, with 0 was best). However, patients significantly preferred liquid at room temperature more than other kinds of food (VAS taste = 8.26 ± 1.52 and VAS easy swallowing = 8.05 ± 1.74) . When evaluating specifically in patients with oral tongue cancer, FEES scores, VAS taste, and VAS easy swallowing showed similar results the liquid at room temperature was the best. Conclusions: We suggested that the nectar-like thickened food at room temperature was determined to be the most proper food characteristic for oral cancer patients undergoing surgery in order to prevent aspiration. However, patients’satisfaction analysis suggested that they preferred other type of food. The physician should advise patients of the proper kind of food for safe swallowing and avoidance of serious complication especially aspiration pneumonia. Keywords: Oral cavity cancer-Swallowing, Food modification-Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 24 (3), 841-847 Introduction Oral cavity cancer is the sixth most common cancer in Thailand. The incidence is about 4.3 per 100,000 in women and 5.5 per 100,000 in men per year based on 2013-2015 records (Ministry of Public Health, 2015) . There were 77 new cases in our institute in 2016. The oral cavity comprises 7 subsites, which are mucosal lip, buccal mucosa, alveolar ridge, retromolar trigone, floor of mouth, hard palate and oral tongue. Therefore, oral cavity cancer is divided into 7 specific subsites according to 8th AJCC cancer staging manual (Ridge JA et al., 2017) . The mainstay treatment of oral cavity cancer is surgery. Surgery however usually results with facial disfigurement and function restriction, especially swallowing function. Dysphagia affects patients’ quality of life and may lead to dehydration, weight loss, malnutrition, psychological problems, and also serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia, airway obstruction, and respiratory failure (Gillespie et al., 2004; Manikantan et al., 2009; Epstein and Huhmann, 2012; Carnaby, 2013) . Surgical morbidity is related to the surgical site, the amount of tissue removed and the reconstruction performed.

FAQs

What was the main goal of the study?

To identify food characteristics that are safe and satisfying for swallowing in postoperative oral cavity cancer patients, and to develop a recipe that is nutritious, energy-adequate, good-tasting, and easy to prepare at home.

How were the food types prepared and varied in the experiment?

Each food type combined three consistencies (liquid, nectar-like, honey-like) with two temperatures (room temperature 25ºC and cold temperature 4ºC), and each patient swallowed six types in randomized sequences.

How was swallowing safety and function evaluated?

Swallowing was assessed objectively using FEES with three parameters: premature oropharyngeal spillage, laryngeal penetration or aspiration, and post-swallow retained residues.

What food characteristic was safest, and what did patients prefer?

FEES showed nectar at room temperature was the safest, while satisfaction results indicated patients significantly preferred liquid at room temperature over other food types.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Callum