Table 3.
Swallowing-related outcomes stratified by the treatment group
| Total (n = 167) | Primary TORS (n = 116) | Primary RT (n = 51) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT in place at 1 year, n (%) | 16 (9.6) | 4 (3.5) | 12 (23.5) | <0.001 |
| Missing | 17 (10.2) | 12 (10.3) | 5 (9.8) | |
| GT dependence at 1 year, n (%)a | 11 (6.6) | 3 (2.6) | 8 (15.7) | 0.004 |
| Missing | 19 (11.4) | 14 (12.1) | 5 (9.8) | |
| Percent weight loss at 1 year, mean (SD) | −0.11 (0.10) | −0.10 (0.10) | −0.14 (0.10) | 0.010 |
| FOIS at baseline, mean (SD) | 6.8 (0.5) | 6.9 (0.4) | 6.7 (0.6) | 0.060 |
| FOIS at 1 year, mean (SD) | 6.1 (1.3) | 6.4 (1.0) | 5.6 (1.7) | 0.004 |
| FOIS at baseline | <0.001 | |||
| 1–3 | 11 (6.6) | 3 (2.6) | 8 (15.7) | |
| 4–5 | 10 (6.0) | 5 (4.3) | 5 (9.8) | |
| 6 | 53 (31.7) | 36 (31.0) | 17 (33.3) | |
| 7 | 74 (44.3) | 58 (50.0) | 16 (31.4) | |
| FOIS at 1 year | 0.003 | |||
| 1–3 | 11 (7.4) | 3 (2.9) | 8 (17.4) | |
| 4–5 | 10 (6.8) | 5 (4.9) | 5 (10.9) | |
| 6 | 53 (35.8) | 36 (35.3) | 17 (37.0) | |
| 7 | 74 (50) | 58 (56.9) | 16 (34.8) | |
| FOIS change from baseline to 1 year | 0.008 | |||
| −6 | 2 (1.4) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (2.2) | |
| −5 | 4 (2.7) | 1 (1.0) | 3 (6.5) | |
| −4 | 4 (2.7) | 1 (1.0) | 3 (6.5) | |
| −3 | 2 (1.4) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (2.2) | |
| −2 | 8 (5.4) | 3 (2.9) | 5 (10.9) | |
| −1 | 41 (27.7) | 30 (29.4) | 11 (24.0) | |
| 0 | 76 (51.5) | 60 (58.8) | 16 (34.8) | |
| 1 | 10 (6.8) | 5 (4.9) | 5 (10.9) | |
| 2 | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 1 (2.2) |
Data are presented as number (%) unless otherwise specified. FOIS, Functional Oral Intake Scale; RT, radiotherapy; TORS, transoral robotic surgery.
a
GT dependence is defined as the FOIS score of 1–3.