Outcomes Analysis of Voice and Quality of Life in Patients With Laryngeal Cancer

Abstract

HEAD AND neck cancer strikes at some of the most basic human functions, including verbal communication, social interaction, eating, and breathing. Although the traditional treatment for laryngeal cancer has been surgical excision (total laryngectomy), there is increasing evidence that, for advanced tumors, radiation therapy (XRT) with or without systemic chemotherapy (followed by "salvage" laryngectomy, if necessary) offers equivalent short-term and long-term survival rates to treatment with laryngectomy.1,2 Because of the widespread perception of significant decrements in overall functional status, ability to communicate, and quality of life (QOL) caused by total laryngectomy, these voice-sparing treatment protocols, which allow some patients to preserve their larynx, have become increasingly popular.