Risk factors for aspiration pneumonia during concurrent chemoradiotherapy or bio-radiotherapy for head and neck cancer

Aspiration pneumonia is one of the most important side effects of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and bioradiotherapy (BRT) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Aspiration pneumonia can lead to cancer-related mortality in HNC patients. However, the relationship between aspiration pneumonia occurring during CRT or BRT for HNC and treatment outcomes in HNC patients is not well characterized.