Abstract
Quality of life （QOL） after cancer treatment, namely “quality of survival”, is important for patients who have overcome cancer. We introduce an evaluation of swallowing and shoulder rehabilitation exercises as supportive care for cases of head and neck cancer surgery performed in our hospital.
In head and neck reconstructive surgery, not only head and neck surgeons but also co-medical staff such as certified nurses assess the patient’s swallowing function and arrange the type of diet. By introducing a standard care system for perioperative swallowing and eating function, we were able to shorten the period to oral intake and arrange the type of diet in stages.
We defined the method and strength of shoulder exercises in accordance with post-operative function or operation type to reduce the shoulder syndrome of neck dissection. In cases of elective neck dissection, we improved the shoulder function and QOL by omitting Level Ⅱb neck dissection.
