Larynx cancer: quality of life and voice after treatment

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Treatments for patients with laryngeal cancer often have an impact on physical, social, and psychological functions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life and voice in patients treated for advanced laryngeal cancer through surgery or exclusive chemoradiation. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study with 30 patients free from disease: ten total laryngectomy patients without production of esophageal speech (ES); ten total laryngectomy patients with tracheoesophageal speech (TES), and ten with laryngeal speech. Quality of life was measured by SF-36, Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) protocols, applied on the same day. RESULTS: The SF-36 showed that patients who received exclusive chemoradiotherapy had better quality of life than the TES and ES groups. The V-RQOL showed that the voice-related quality of life was lower in the ES group. In the VHI, the ES group showed higher scores for overall, emotional, functional, and organic VHI. DISCUSSION: Quality of life and voice in patients treated with chemoradiotherapy was better than in patients treated surgically. CONCLUSION: The type of medical treatment used in patients with laryngeal cancer can bring changes in quality of life and voice.