Effect of surgery and radiotherapy on voice characteristics following glottic cancer

Abstract

To gain a better insight into voice characteristics and various contributing factors causing voice problem of patients who have undergone surgical treatment and radiation therapy for glottic cancer. A detailed voice assessment was carried out. Various acoustic, aerodynamic and perceptual measures were evaluated following the surgery and radiation therapy for glottic cancer. Results of acoustic and perceptual analysis indicated a severe hoarse voice. From the current study, it is inferred that the extent of tumor/site of lesion, modality of treatment and type of surgery also contribute to the deviation in voice characteristic in patient with glottic cancer. The glottic cancer can have several effects on an individual′s daily living as it affects voice, which becomes a major hindrance for communication. The affected individuals should be evaluated by a speech language pathologist to identify the exact nature of voice impairment at the earliest in order to plan a comprehensive management strategy that could restore voice to give a good quality of life.

Keywords

• Glottic cancer
• radiation therapy
• speech language pathologist
• voice impairment