How do you manage chronic radiation laryngeal edema for patients treated with RT for a larynx primary in the past?
Aside from smoking cessation, what interventions have you found useful to manage patients with chronic symptomatic laryngeal edema? Steroids seem to be a short term fix...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Community Practice
I agree with @Matthew E. Witek's response above. I think it is important to differentiate between laryngeal edema resulting from RT and persisting as a sub-acute toxicity, as opposed to a patient who was treated in the past for larynx cancer and then develops laryngeal edema unexpectedly. In the for...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
This is a challenging topic for which we lack solid evidence based recommendations. Lymphedema can manifest both in the soft tissues of the neck, as well as in the larynx. I always encourage patients to get in early with a certified lymphedema therapist for management. Emerging technologies such as ...
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Radiation Oncologist at Allegheny General Hospital-Western Pennsylvania Hospital We've had decent luck getting the flexitouch syste...
Radiation Oncologist at Anderson Regional Cancer Center Does anyone have experience using pravastatin for ...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Community Practice
Thankfully, with better treatment planning, treatment related laryngeal edema is less common nowadays, but I agree with the other answers that it is important first to rule out recurrent disease in patients with persistent edema with referred otalgia, odynophagia or suspicious exam/imaging. Continue...