C. Finizia et al., QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND VOICE IN PATIENTS WITH LARYNGEAL CARCINOMA - A POSTTREATMENT COMPARISON OF LARYNGECTOMY (SALVAGE SURGERY) VERSUS RADIOTHERAPY, The Laryngoscope, 108(10), 1998, pp. 1566-1573
Citations number
47
Categorie Soggetti
Otorhinolaryngology,"Medicine, Research & Experimental
Objectives: This study was designed 60 compare the voice and the quali
ty of life (QOL) of laryngeal cancer patients receiving treatment with
radical radiotherapy with or without laryngectomy as salvage surgery.
We also compared the patients' own perceptual ratings of their voice
to the perceptual ratings of a group of listeners. Study Design: Two g
roups of laryngeal cancer patients were studied. Methods: Fourteen irr
adiated laryngeal speakers with preserved larynx were matched with 14
salvage surgery laryngectomized patients speaking with tracheoesophage
al prosthesis (TEP). To measure patients' QOL, we used the European Or
ganisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Q
uestionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), the EORTC Head and Neck module (EORTC QL
Q-H&N35), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) and a study-
specific questionnaire. For the perceptual speech evaluation we used v
isual analog scales. Results: The perceptual ratings of speech intelli
gibility, voice quality, and speech acceptability showed a significant
difference between the treatment groups. Both the patients who receiv
ed treatment with radiotherapy and the listeners rated the irradiated
laryngeal voices higher than the tracheoesophageal speech. The larynge
ctomized patients scored significantly better than the patients treate
d with radical radiotherapy on the question about hoarseness. No other
significant difference was found for the QOL functions and symp toms.
Conclusion: When patients treated with radiotherapy were compared wit
h patients treated with laryngectomy as salvage surgery, QOL was simil
ar, only small differences being found in the perceptual speech evalua
tion.