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Review
. 2025 Jun 29;13(13):1552.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13131552.

Psychological Distress and Quality of Life in Patients with Laryngeal Cancer: A Review

Maria Octavia Murariu  1 , Eugen Radu Boia  2 , Adrian Mihail Sitaru  3 , Cristian Ion Mot  2 , Mihaela Cristina Negru  2 , Alexandru Cristian Brici  4 , Delia Elena Zahoi  5 , Nicolae Constantin Balica  2
Affiliations
Review

Psychological Distress and Quality of Life in Patients with Laryngeal Cancer: A Review

Maria Octavia Murariu et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Laryngeal cancer significantly affects not only survival but also core functions such as speech, swallowing, and breathing. These impairments often result in substantial psychological distress and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This review aims to synthesize current evidence regarding the psychological impact, quality of life outcomes, and system-level challenges faced by laryngeal cancer patients while identifying strategies for integrated survivorship care. Anxiety and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among laryngeal cancer patients, particularly those undergoing total laryngectomy or chemoradiotherapy. HRQoL outcomes vary significantly depending on treatment modality, with long-term deficits noted in domains such as voice, swallowing, and emotional well-being. Access to psychological support and rehabilitation remains inconsistent, hindered by institutional, socioeconomic, and cultural barriers. Structured survivorship models, psychological screening, and patient-centered rehabilitation have demonstrated benefits but are not universally implemented. Comprehensive care for laryngeal cancer must extend beyond tumor control to address persistent functional and psychological sequelae. A multidisciplinary, anticipatory, and personalized approach-centered on integrated rehabilitation and mental health support-is essential to optimize survivorship outcomes and improve long-term quality of life.

Keywords: anxiety; barriers to support; depression; health-related quality of life; laryngeal cancer; multidisciplinary approach; psychological distress; survivorship care; total laryngectomy; voice rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The conceptual trajectory of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over time in laryngeal cancer patients based on treatment modality. This schematic summarizes trends from selected longitudinal studies and meta-analyses [9,10,11,14] and is intended as an illustrative model, not a representation of pooled or original data. Tx-Treatment; mo-months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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