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Functional status after total laryngectomy: cross-sectional survey of 79 laryngectomees using the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2009

N B Oozeer ,
S Owen ,
B Z Perez ,
G Jones ,
A R Welch  and
V Paleri
N B Oozeer*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
S Owen
Affiliation:
Department of Speech and Language Therapy, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
B Z Perez
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
G Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Speech and Language Therapy, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
A R Welch
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
V Paleri
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Miss Nashreen Banon Oozeer, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE7 7DN, UK. E-mail: n.oozeer@googlemail.com
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Abstract

Introduction:

Total laryngectomy affects patients' post-operative speech and swallowing functions. We aimed to assess these outcomes.

Materials and methods:

Patients' normalcy of diet, ability to eat in public and speech comprehensibility were assessed using the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer, in a cross-sectional survey of disease-free laryngectomees.

Results and analysis:

Seventy-nine laryngectomees (72 men and seven women), with a mean age of 64 years (range 37 to 96), were included. Mean scores were 81.6 (standard deviation 29.2) for normalcy of diet, 77.8 (standard deviation 30.2) for eating in public and 65.2 (standard deviation 23.5) for speech. Normalcy of diet achieved higher scores within six months of laryngectomy and remained stable. There was a statistically significant difference between scores for the speech and public eating domains, comparing patients less and more than six months post-laryngectomy. This trend was maintained beyond 12 months.

Conclusions:

In post-laryngectomy patients, Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer scores improved over time, especially those for the speech and public eating domains, reflecting increasing confidence in social interactions and familiarity with surgical voice restoration.

Keywords

LarynxLaryngeal NeoplasmsLaryngectomySpeechSwallowingOutcome Assessment

Information

Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 124 , Issue 4 , April 2010 , pp. 412 - 416
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2009

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Footnotes

Presented as a poster at the British Academic Conference in Otolaryngology, 5–7 July 2006, Birmingham, UK.

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