Investigation of adverse events associated with planned neck dissection in oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers

The adverse events associated with planned neck dissection (PND) conducted after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers were investigated. A questionnaire survey related to subjective neck symptoms, meals, conversation, etc. was conducted for patients who visited the outpatient ward, and the results were compared between the cases who received PND and those who received CCRT only. Although a significant difference was observed in some items related to the subjective symptoms, most of the items did not demonstrate any significant difference between the former and the latter. Accordingly, it is not considered necessary to be averse toward PND for the reason of adverse events. (author)