Speech and swallow rehabilitation following partial glossectomy: a systematic review.

PURPOSE Tongue cancer is known to negatively affect both speech and swallowing function; however this is the first review to report speech-language pathology (SLP) intervention for both functions following partial glossectomy. METHOD Using a PRISMA approach, systematic screening of nine databases was undertaken. Original studies reporting SLP rehabilitation for speech and/or swallowing dysfunction with participants following partial glossectomy as primary cancer treatment were included. RESULT These studies are discussed in terms of SLP assessment and intervention trends as well as quality according to current research method standards (levels of evidence, Pedro-P, SCED) in order to determine suitability for guiding current clinical practice. CONCLUSION Publications were few (n = 7) and mostly of non-experimental design. This review highlights the gap in evidence and questions the rationale of current SLP rehabilitation following partial glossectomy.