Lisa Evangelista, Nogah Nativ-Zeltzer, Arnaud Bewley, Andrew C Birkeland, Marianne Abouyared, Maggie Kuhn, Daniel J Cates, D Gregory Farwell, Peter Belafsky
IMPORTANCE: Late effects of head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment include profound dysphagia, chronic aspiration, and death. Functional laryngectomy (FL) can improve patient survival and quality of life (QoL); however, removing a failing larynx for a noncancer reason is a difficult decision. Data regarding the ability of FL to improve self-perceptions of voice, swallowing, and QOL in survivors of HNC with intractable aspiration are inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of FL with changes in self-reported perceptions of voice, swallowing, oral intake, QoL, and mood in survivors of HNC experiencing profound dysphagia and intractable aspiration...
March 7, 2024: JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery