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Voice outcomes after radiotherapy treatment for early glottic cancer: Assessment using multidimensional tools
Author(s) -
Bibby Jessica R. L.,
Cotton Susan M.,
Perry Alison,
Corry June F.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.20750
Subject(s) - breathy voice , audiology , quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , voice therapy , perception , radiation therapy , voice analysis , voice disorder , larynx , psychology , phonation , speech recognition , surgery , computer science , nursing , neuroscience
Background. This is the first prospective study to use instrumental and both clinician‐ and client‐rated auditory‐perceptual measures to examine voice and voice‐related quality of life changes in patients after curative radiotherapy for early glottic cancer. Method. Thirty patients undergoing curative radiotherapy treatment for early glottic cancer completed the following: 3 voice tasks for acoustic, aerodynamic, and auditory‐perceptual voice measures (therapist‐rated); a patient self‐report rating of voice quality; and a voice‐related quality of life assessment before and 12 months after radiotherapy. Results. Patients' perceptions of their voice quality and their voice‐related quality of life significantly improved posttreatment, as did acoustic, aerodynamic, and auditory‐perceptual voice measures. Mean speaking fundamental frequency did not change significantly, although breathiness and strain in the voice recordings were demonstrably reduced. Conclusion. In describing postradiotherapy voices in this study, pertinent measures of voice outcomes have been established, setting the benchmark for comparison in future cohort studies. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008