title: Voice quality after organ-preservation therapy with definitive radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to analyze voice quality among patients treated by definitive radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients with laryngeal cancer who had completed radiotherapy were involved in this pilot study. A standardized protocol was administered assessing: (1) sustained vowel production following maximal inspiration, (2) sustained vowel production for a 7-second duration repeated 5 times, and (3) spontaneous speech for 10 seconds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The acoustic parameters among patients with early-stage cancer were not statistically different from healthy age-corresponding controls, except for shimmer (0.20 vs 0.16 dB, ρ = 0.01) and maximum phonation duration (24.37 vs 30.10 seconds, ρ = 0.04). For patients with locally advanced cancer, differences with controls were observed with shimmer (2.29 vs 0.16 dB, ρ = 0.01), jitter (7.49% vs 1.04%, ρ = 0.01), harmonics-to-noise ratio (2.67 vs 9.22, ρ = 0.01), and maximum phonation duration (14.12 vs 30.10 seconds, ρ = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the subtle differences in voice quality that existed, radiotherapy as a curative treatment for laryngeal cancer allows maintenance of a functional voice.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Davis, School of Medicine, Davis Cancer Center, Sacramento, California, USA.
authors: Valerie H
authors: VH
authors: Lau
authors: Rebecca J
authors: RJ
authors: Leonard
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Goodrich
authors: Quang
authors: Q
authors: Luu
authors: D Gregory
authors: DG
authors: Farwell
authors: Derick H
authors: DH
authors: Lau
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Purdy
authors: Allen M
authors: AM
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010699:Phonation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000528:radiation effects; D014833:Voice Quality / Q000528:radiation effects*