Analysis of speech and swallowing and quality of life in patients undergoing subtotal glossectomy with free flap reconstruction followed by radiotherapy

Angelos Mantelakis; Konstantinos Vachtsevanos; Harry V M Spiers; Christina Gavriilidou; Stamatis Sapountzis

doi:10.1080/23320885.2021.1884559

Analysis of speech and swallowing and quality of life in patients undergoing subtotal glossectomy with free flap reconstruction followed by radiotherapy

Case Reports Plast Surg Hand Surg. 2021 Feb 22;8(1):37-41. doi: 10.1080/23320885.2021.1884559.

Authors

Angelos Mantelakis¹, Konstantinos Vachtsevanos², Harry V M Spiers³, Christina Gavriilidou⁴, Stamatis Sapountzis⁵

Affiliations

¹ Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, G Papanikolaou General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
³ Manchester Royal Infirmary Oxford Road, Manchester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
⁴ Efolikon Speech and Languange Therapy, Thessaloniki, Greece.
⁵ St Luke's Hospital, Panorama, Greece.

Abstract

Six patients (4 with post-operative radiotherapy, 2 without) were formally assessed by a speech and language therapist 12 months post-operatively. Patient-reported quality of life (QOL) was simultaneously measured. Patients treated with post-operative radiotherapy had lower overall speech comprehensibility scores, poorer swallowing function in puree and solid foods and lower overall QOL.

Keywords: Tongue cancer; quality of life; speech; swallow.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

This research did not receive any grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.