Head and neck cancer: SLP roles for communication and swallowing, per ASHA
ASHA’s Practice Portal lists SLP roles in head and neck cancer (HNC) that include assessing “speech, language, resonance, voice, cognition, and/or feeding/swallowing deficits associated with HNC” and counseling before, during, and after medical treatment. This page quotes ASHA’s SLP roles only.
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current information on those sites. This page is not medical advice and does not describe any patient’s care.
Source read on November 12, 2026: ASHA’s Practice Portal page Head and Neck Cancer.
ASHA’s Practice Portal pages are written for clinicians. Quotes below stop before ASHA’s in-text research citations.
Scope
ASHA says the page covers malignant tumors in adults in and around the nose, sinuses, mouth, pharynx, larynx, and salivary glands, and does not cover thyroid cancer, brain tumors, or skin cancers (paraphrased).
Roles for SLPs
- “Conducting a comprehensive, culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment of speech, language, resonance, voice, cognition, and/or feeding/swallowing deficits associated with HNC as well as diagnosing these deficits as indicated.”
- “Making decisions about the functional management of communication and swallowing in HNC.”
- “Developing treatment plans, providing treatment (including palliative care), documenting progress, and determining appropriate discharge criteria.”
- “Evaluating the impact of deficits on quality of life and directing treatments to improve these areas when possible.”
ASHA also lists counseling before, during, and after surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic therapy on communication and swallowing (paraphrased). Voice prostheses after laryngectomy are on laryngectomy.
What this page does not do
It does not repeat ASHA’s cancer staging, treatment descriptions, or hearing-care content. It is not medical advice and does not recommend any treatment, medicine, device, or product. Scope of practice is set by state law; check your state board.