Swallowing after head and neck radiotherapy

This page tells you about how to cope if you have difficulty swallowing during and after radiotherapy to your neck. There is information about

Swallowing problems during head and neck radiotherapy
Foods and drinks that can help
Medicines that can help
Where to get more information

Radiotherapy treatment for cancer in the head or neck area can cause swelling and soreness in the throat. Your throat may be very sore and you may find it difficult to swallow solid foods. How much difficulty you have depends on which part of your head or neck is being treated. It also depends on the dose of your treatment. You can ask to see a dietician at the radiotherapy clinic if you are having problems with eating and drinking.

Difficulty swallowing may be worse and can last longer if you are having chemotherapy at the same time as radiotherapy.

A soft, plain diet may help. Try different foods to find out which are easiest to swallow. Avoid foods that may irritate your throat. This includes

Dry foods
Highly spiced foods
Very hot foods or drinks
Alcohol, particularly spirits

You may need high calorie drinks to boost your calorie intake, such as

Build Up
Complan

Other high calorie food supplements are available on prescription – ask your specialist nurse or dietician to advise you. The soreness usually gets better within a few weeks of your treatment finishing, but this depends on how much treatment you've had. If you have soreness following radiotherapy and chemotherapy given together, you may need to eat a soft diet for some weeks. Some people need to go into hospital for feeding through a tube or to have fluids through a drip into a vein.