Voice-Related Quality of Life After Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer

Abstract

The VRQOL and VHI-10 questionnaires are important in judging the overall effectiveness of treatment options for laryngeal cancer.

Prospective clinical study on long-term swallowing function and voice quality in advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and preventive swallowing exercises

“…As a result, abnormal acoustic and aerodynamic measures (harmonicsto-noise ratio, fundamental frequency, measures of jitter, shimmer, and spectral tilt) have been demonstrated in irradiated HNC patients. Also subjective voice problems, often assessed with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), are reported in the available but limited literature on this topic [6,[38][39][40][41][42].…”

Evaluation of the Dysphonic Patient (in: Function Preservation in Laryngeal Cancer)

“…27 Both the VHI and V-RQOL have been validated and used by many investigators to evaluate dysphonia in relation to laryngeal cancer and treatment outcomes. [28][29][30][31][32] …”

Examining the Construct Validity of the V-RQOL in Speakers Who Use Alaryngeal Voice

“…R ecently, there has been an increasing awareness of quality-of-life (QOL) concerns in individuals who have been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and have subsequently undergone total laryngectomy (Eadie, 2007;Eadie, Day, Sawin, Lamvik, & Doyle, 2013;Oridate et al, 2009;Robertson, Yeo, Dunnet, Young, & MacKenzie, 2012). Further, there has been a recent acknowledgment that existing head and neck cancer-specific QOL measures may fail to identify important voice-and communication-related concerns in individuals who have had laryngectomies (Op de Coul et al, 2005).…”

“…Deficits that emerge from physical changes and the transition of vocal functioning to an atypical method of voice generation in those who have undergone total laryngectomy can have a substantial impact on a person. This increased interest in postlaryngectomy QOL has facilitated ongoing efforts to quantify a person's degree of disability related to communication impairment in general and voice limitations specifically (Eadie, 2007;Oridate et al, 2009). However, the ability to quantify QOL specific to voice abnormality provides multiple challenges when one considers the vast variation within and between a diverse range of laryngeal-based voice disorders and the voice deficits that emerge from the use of postlaryngectomy alaryngeal voice.…”

“…However, recent work suggests that the V-RQOL may also have value in those who use alaryngeal voice following laryngectomy (Deshpande et al, 2009;Hogikyan, 2002;Moukarbel et al, 2011;Oridate et al, 2009;Xi, 2010). In evaluating the questions posed in this tool, the face and content validity of the V-RQOL would appear to logically transfer across the diverse populations of those who experience voice disorders.…”