title: Quality-of-life outcomes in transoral robotic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report long-term, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) outcomes in patients treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, longitudinal, clinical study on functional and HRQOL outcomes in TORS.
  
  
  METHODS
  University tertiary care facility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who underwent TORS were asked to complete a Head and Neck Cancer Inventory before treatment and at 3 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Demographic, clinicopathological, and follow-up data were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-four patients who underwent TORS were enrolled. A total of 113 TORS procedures were performed. The mean follow-up time was 16.3 ± 7.49 months. The HRQOL was assessed at 3 weeks and at 3, 6, and 12 months, with a response rate of 78%, 44%, 41%, and 28%, respectively. TORS was performed most frequently for squamous cell carcinoma (88%). There was a decrease from baseline in the speech, eating, aesthetic, social, and overall QOL domains immediately after treatment. At the 1-year follow-up, the HRQOL scores in the aesthetic, social, and overall QOL domains were in the high domain. Patients with malignant lesions had significantly lower postoperative HRQOL scores in the speech, eating, social, and overall QOL domains (P < .05). Patients who underwent adjuvant radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy had lower postoperative scores in the eating, social, and overall QOL domains (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The preliminary data show that patients who undergo TORS for malignancies and receive adjuvant therapy tend to have lower HRQOL outcomes. TORS is a promising, minimally invasive, endoscopic alternative surgical treatment of laryngopharyngeal tumors.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA. agnes.hurtuk@osumc.edu
authors: Agnes M
authors: AM
authors: Hurtuk
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Marcinow
authors: Amit
authors: A
authors: Agrawal
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Old
authors: Theodoros N
authors: TN
authors: Teknos
authors: Enver
authors: E
authors: Ozer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012371:Robotics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome