Episode # 3 • 17 Jan 2025
Pediatric Cancer: Managing Dysphonia, Dysphagia, & Airway
When a child's cancer treatment threatens a child’s ability to speak, eat, or breath, how does a team decide what to address first? On this episode of BackTable ENT, host Dr. Gopi Shah welcomes Dr. Anthony Sheyn, pediatric otolaryngologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and St. Jude, and Amber Bonner, MS, CCC-SLP, acute care speech-language pathologist at Le Bonheur, to explore how a multidisciplinary team navigates the most challenging functional decisions in pediatric head and neck oncology.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
03:26 - Treatment Effects vs Tumor Effects
06:30 - Swallow and Airway Evaluation Timing
10:09 - Voice Assessment Protocols
13:13 - Feeding Decisions and Vocal Fold Immobility
17:23 - Vocal Fold Injection and Reinnervation
21:36 - Tracheostomy Timing and Family Teaching
26:08 - Complications and Swallowing Outcomes
29:48 - FEES Collaboration and Voice Prognosis
34:15 - Decannulation and Functional Outcomes
37:40 - Closing Remarks
Resources
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More about this episode
They discuss baseline preoperative evaluation, strategies to distinguish tumor effects from treatment complications, and the pivotal role of instrumental swallow studies. The discussion covers standardized voice assessments, decisions around feeding tubes and tracheostomy, early vocal fold interventions, and the realities of family education and post-op rehab. Through real-world examples and collaborative protocols, Dr. Sheyn and Amber Bonner share how teams can set children up for meaningful recovery and long-term survivorship, bringing hope to families facing the toughest cases.
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