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BackTable / ENT / Podcast / Episode #222
Survivorship in Head & Neck Cancer
with Dr. Michael Moore and Heather Starmer, PhD, CCC-SLP
What does it take to improve quality of life after head and neck cancer? In this episode of Backtable ENT, guests Dr. Heather Starmer, a speech and language pathologist at Stanford University, and Dr. Michael Moore, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Indiana University explore the topic of head and neck cancer survivorship
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BackTable, LLC (Producer). (2025, May 13). Ep. 222 – Survivorship in Head & Neck Cancer [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.backtable.com
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Synopsis
The discussion centers on the multifaceted challenges faced by survivors, including dysphagia, dry mouth, chronic pain, and mental health issues. The experts emphasize the importance of early intervention, community support, and comprehensive care to enhance the quality of life for survivors. Various resources, such as the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, are highlighted to assist patients and providers in navigating survivorship. The conversation also outlines future directions in research and the need for more qualitative studies to better understand long-term survivorship outcomes.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
03:23 - Understanding Survivorship & Challenges in Head and Neck Cancer
14:06 - Managing Mobility and Lymphedema
18:47 - Addressing Chronic Pain and Mental Health
21:37 - Dental Care and Trismus Therapy
25:58 - Long-Term Survivorship and Quality of Life
31:36 - Survivorship Clinics and Multidisciplinary Care
34:39 - Resources for Patients and Providers
38:49 - Future Research and Educational Gaps
Resources
Dr. Heather Starmer
https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/heather-starmer
Dr. Michael Moore
https://iuhealth.org/find-providers/provider/michael-g-moore-md-64028
Transcript Preview
[Dr. Gopi Shah]
Hello, everybody. Welcome to the BackTable ENT Podcast. My name is Gopi Shah. I'm a Pediatric ENT. I have two amazing guests today to talk about survivorship and head and neck cancer. Let me introduce my guest. We have Dr. Heather Starmer. She's a Speech and Language Pathologist and Professor at Stanford University, specializing in swallowing and communication disorders in patients with head and neck cancer. We have Dr. Michael Moore. He's a Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon and Professor of Otolaryngology at Indiana University. Welcome to the show, guys. How are you?
[Dr. Michael Moore]
Doing great. Yes. Thanks so much for having us.
[Dr. Heather Starmer]
Doing great. Thank you. Happy to be here.
[Dr. Gopi Shah]
Yes. Thanks for coming on. Before we get into our discussion, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and your practices?
[Dr. Heather Starmer]
Sure. Okay. As you mentioned, I'm Heather Starmer. I'm a Speech Pathologist at Stanford. I've been working with head and neck cancer patients for about 25 years now as a Speech Language Pathologist. My clinic interests and my research interests are all around optimizing functional outcomes, whether communication or swallow function.
I am fortunate to be the Co-chair of the Survivorship and Rehabilitation section for the American Head and Neck Society, and on the Board of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. Education and survivorship are my passions. In my practice, I work alongside our surgeons as well as our radiation oncologists and medical oncologists to provide comprehensive multidisciplinary care, all the way from diagnosis through survivorship.
[Dr. Michael Moore]
Yes. As Heather mentioned, we're all part of one big multidisciplinary team. I practice out of Indiana University in Indianapolis. I'm a Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon. Half my practice is cancer removal surgery, and the other half is reconstructive surgery. We work very closely with our local providers in medical and radiation oncology and, obviously, speech language pathology, rehab, our dental team, not only to get patients educated on the right approach to treatment for them, but get them through their therapy and then, obviously, support them during and after therapy in their survivorship journey. I'm really excited to help raise awareness of the importance of this part of care.
The Materials available on BackTable are for informational and educational purposes only and are not a substitute for the professional judgment of a healthcare professional in diagnosing and treating patients. The opinions expressed by participants of the BackTable Podcast belong solely to the participants, and do not necessarily reflect the views of BackTable.
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