This is the first study to demonstrate an increased risk of stroke after RT on the neck. During medical follow-up, preventive measures should be taken to reduce the impact of the risk factors for cerebrovascular disease, to decrease stroke in these patients.
Functional changes after total laryngectomy, including voice quality, hyposmia and dysgeusia, nasal discharge, swallowing and smoking habits were studied by means of a structured interview with 63 laryngectomized patients. Eighty per cent of the patients reported that they were satisfied with the quality of their voice including speaking on the telephone. Significant correlations were found between the quality of the voice and fatigue, frequency of making telephone calls and anxiety about speaking (P < 0.01). Vocal rehabilitation was achieved in the majority of patients (78%) with the indwelling Provox voice prosthesis. Forty-five per cent of the patients complained about annoying eructation. Hyposmia was reported by 52% of the patients, while 15% experienced dysgeusia. A significant correlation was found between hyposmia and dysgeusia (R = 0.43, P < 0.001). All patients with a taste problem also reported a poor sense of smell. Daily nasal discharge was reported by 38% of the patients. Due to difficulties in swallowing solid food, about one quarter of the patients changed their diet. All but one patient had been heavy smokers pre-operatively. Only 9% continued to smoke post-operatively. These results, along with the previously reported respiratory problems resulting from total laryngectomy, should be taken into account in counselling patients who are candidates for this surgical procedure.
The hypoxia problem in head and neck cancer needs to be addressed if improvements in current treatments are to be made. Increased knowledge of the molecular biology of intermediate, severe, and intermittent hypoxia is needed to assess their relevance and indicate strategies for overcoming their negative influence.
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