Current status of laryngectomee rehabilitation: I. Results of therapy

Abstract

Of 103 people with the clinical diagnosis of laryngeal cancer studied by the authors, 53 eventually were treated by total laryngectomy and, in some cases, radical neck dissection (43), preoperative radiation therapy (15), postoperative radiation therapy (29), and post-operative chemotherapy (7). All were entered into a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Six months following completion of their cancer therapy 47 were re-evaluated. Of these, 12 (26 per cent) used esophageal speech as the dominant mode of communication, 16 (34 per cent) the electrolarynx, and the remainder either wrote (16 [34 per cent]) or signed (3 [6 per cent]). Twenty-six (55 per cen) were considered to be successfully) rehabilitated overall and 21 (45 per cent) were not. These data indicate that the rehabilitative needs of today's laryngectomee are not being met successfully with traditional methods.