Quality of Life and Health Status of Patients After Total Laryngectomy

Introduction The quality of life and health status of patients after total laryngectomy are the main entities in assessing patients that are diagnosed with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. After the surgical treatment, without psychological support and voice, deglutition and pulmonary rehabilitation, the quality of life in these patients can be strongly affected, most of them suffering from depression. Materials and Methods In order to assess the quality of life and health status in these patients, a questionnaire with 14 questions was addressed to patients that have underwent total laryngectomy and at least one month has passed since the surgery. In the study were included both patients that benefit from voice rehabilitation and patients with communication difficulties, the questionnaire being given randomly to patients that presented in the Clinic for follow-up. It assessed the ability to communicate, swallow, anxiety or depression and health status. All patients have given their written consent to publish this data. Results and Conclusions Patients that benefit from voice rehabilitation reported a superior quality of life to those that were unable to communicate, and those that were under chemotherapy or suffered from lack of taste or smell were in correlation with anxiety and depression. Most patients did not accuse a major discomfort related to the tracheal cannula, but the nasogastric tube was linked to depression.