Quality of Life of Patients Using Esophageal Speech After Total Laryngectomy: A Systematic Review Study

Journal of Personalized Medicine

Plotas, P., Mastronikolis, S. N., et al. (2024).

Journal of Personalized Medicine, 14(8), 817.

<div>This systematic review explores the effects of using esophageal speech on quality of life (QoL) and vocal function in individuals with total laryngectomy. Of note, this review only included laryngectomized individuals with primary cervical cancer.&nbsp;</div>

University of Patras (Greece)

2010 to 2023

<div>Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, retrospective studies, case studies, case series studies</div>

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<div>Individuals with total laryngectomy who received voice restoration therapy with either esophageal or tracheoesophageal speech demonstrated improved QoL and communication when compared to individuals who did not undergo rehabilitation. However, based on patient-reported outcomes, tracheoesophageal speech may be a more effective and preferable method of voice restoration than esophageal speech. Specific findings regarding esophageal speech included:</div> <div> <ul> <li>Esophageal speech had mixed effects on QoL for individuals with total laryngectomy (i.e., four studies with positive outcomes and five with negative outcomes).</li> <li>QoL outcomes for esophageal speech appeared to be impacted by factors related to patients' medical conditions and psychological states.&nbsp;</li> <li>Some individuals using esophageal speech reported negative experiences (i.e., increased emotional/mental burden, difficulty learning the technique, need for long-term intervention, unsatisfactory phonetic performance).&nbsp;</li> </ul> <div>Limitations to this review included high risk of bias within included studies, small sample sizes, and lack of long-term follow-up. Additional, high-quality research is indicated.&nbsp;</div> </div>