Functional Results after the Larynx Preserving Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer; suggestions for the follow-up

Abstract

Introduction: Laryngeal cancer and its treatment are associated with both short and long-term side effects, affecting laryngeal functions and having an impact on the quality of life. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients receiving surgical or non-surgical, larynx preserving treatment for laryngeal cancer. Results: After termination of the treatment, the highest proportion of patients with bad voice quality was in the glottic carcinoma group (both in early and late phase), with swallowing dysfunction in the transglottic carcinoma group. Compared to the situation before the treatment, the proportion of patients with impaired voice quality (bad voice quality and loss of voice) initially decreased among all groups (except for supraglottic carcinomas), and during the first post-treatment year either increased or hasn’t changed. The proportion of patients with no swallowing dysfunction increased in the supraglottic, subglottic and transglottic carcinoma groups. Discussion: We consider necessary the implementation of a standard pre- and post-treatment monitoring of the voice and swallowing function in the management of patients with laryngeal cancer. Key words laryngeal cancer, functional results, dysphonia, dysphagia, post-treatment follow-up