Relation between risk of dysphagia and oral intake level in cancer patients

To relate the self-perceived risk of dysphagia with the level of oral intake in hospitalized oncology patients.

This cross-sectional study had a convenience sample of adults and older adults diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized in an oncology hospital in southern Brazil. Data on sex, age, length of hospitalization, comorbidities, oncological diagnosis, treatment, and feeding route were obtained from the participants' medical records. The level of oral intake was classified using the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), and the risk of dysphagia was identified using the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). The relationship between these variables was analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient.

The study included 60 participants - 42 with solid tumors and 18 with hematological tumors; 35 females (58.3%) and 25 males(41.7%), with a mean age of 58.5 ± 13.1 years. Of these, 56 exclusively used the oral route for feeding (93.3%), and 18 were at risk of dysphagia (30%). Older patients were at higher risk for dysphagia than adults (p-value = 0.020). EAT-10 scores (median = 0; IQR = 0-4) were significantly inversely correlated (RHO = -0.463; p-value = 0.000) with FOIS classifications (N: level 2 = 2; level 3 = 2; level 4 = 2; level 5 = 12; level 7 = 42).

The study found that lower EAT-10 scores corresponded to higher FOIS levels. In other words, the lower the risk of dysphagia, the lower the susceptibility to using alternative feeding routes.