A 50 años del inicio de la fonoaudiología en Chile: experiencias y desafíos actuales en salud pública

138 ONCOLOGICAL SPEECH THERAPY IN HEAD AND NECK CANCER IN CHILE Abstract Rehabilitation in cancer has been defined as medical care that should be integrated throughout the cancer care process and should be provided by trained rehabilitation professionals who have within their scope of work the diagnosis and treatment of patients’ physical, psychological, and cognitive impairments to maintain or restore function, reduce symptom burden, maximize independence, and improve quality of life in this medically complex population. The sequelae in the speech therapy setting are varied and will depend on the type of cancer, stage of disease, and treatments to which the patient is subjected. This chapter will describe how phono-oncology was born in Chile, the scope of work with the population that presents cancer in the head and neck area, some relevant aspects that the speech therapist must have in mind when working with this population and where we are in at a national level, emphasizing the relevance of incorporating this specialized professional in the continuum of work with these patients, from the diagnostic stage to the survivor or palliative care, as the case may be. Keywords: cancer, head and neck, oncologic speech therapist, phono- oncology.