Abstract
Describe the prevalence of communication, swallowing and orofacial myofunctional disorders in a group of children and adolescents at the time of registration at a cancer hospital. A cross-sectional study conducted with children aged ≥2 and adolescents, of both genders, admitted to the Pediatric Oncology Section of the Instituto Nacional de Câncer José de Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA) from March 2014 to April 2015 for investigation and/or treatment of solid tumors. A protocol was used to record the sociodemographic and clinical information and findings of the speech-language pathology clinical evaluation, which included aspects of the oral sensorimotor system, swallowing, speech, language, voice, and hearing. Eighty-eight children/adolescents (41.3%) presented some type of speech-language disorder. The most frequent speech-language disorders were orofacial myofunctional disorder, dysphonia, and language impairments, whereas the less frequent ones were dysacusis, tongue paralysis, and trismus. Site of the lesion was the clinical variable that presented statistically significant correlation with presence of speech-language disorders. High prevalence of speech-language disorders was observed in children and adolescents at the time of admission at a cancer hospital. Occurrence of speech-language disorders was higher in participants with lesions in the central nervous system and in the head and neck region.
Highlights
Children and adolescents with benign and malignant neoplasms may present developmental speech-language disorders or impairments associated with the tumor and resulting from the treatments performed[1]
High prevalence of speech-language disorders was observed in children and adolescents at the time of admission at a cancer hospital
Functional disorders in pediatric patients with head and neck (HN) tumors are common, and they vary according to the site and extent of lesion and treatment performed, as well as to individual characteristics and functions acquired until the onset of disease
Summary
Children and adolescents with benign and malignant neoplasms may present developmental speech-language disorders or impairments associated with the tumor and resulting from the treatments performed[1]. The occurrence of impairments in speech, language, and swallowing in children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors is well described in the specific scientific literature. For instance, are common disorders in children with posterior fossa tumors, because the neurological structures of this region play an important role in the accuracy and efficiency of the movements involved in speech and swallowing[2,3,4]. Functional disorders in pediatric patients with head and neck (HN) tumors are common, and they vary according to the site and extent of lesion and treatment performed, as well as to individual characteristics and functions acquired until the onset of disease. The functional disorder corresponds to the impairment caused by the presence of the tumor, and it is aggravated by the treatment indicated for the disease[5,6]
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