0000000000524046
AUTHOR
Kerstin Breitenstein
Course of social support and associations with distress after partial laryngectomy
PURPOSE Social support has been shown to be positively associated with quality of life and adjustment after a cancer diagnosis. The present study investigates the course of social support up to one year after partial laryngectomy and its association with distress. DESIGN Longitudinal questionnaire study. SAMPLE A total of 428 patients after partial laryngectomy (mean age: 64, SD = 11, 91% male). METHODS Patients completed questionnaires before treatment (t1), one week after a partial laryngectomy (t2), 3 months (t3), and one year (t4) thereafter. Social support was evaluated at t2, t3, and t4 using a brief version of the Social Support Questionnaire. Distress was measured at t2, t3, and t4 …
Speech rehabilitation during the first year after total laryngectomy
Background Gaining a new voice is one of the major aims after total laryngectomy. The objective of this study was to describe the process and results of speech rehabilitation during the first year after surgery. Methods Speech intelligibility was measured 6 months (n = 273) and 1 year (n = 225) after total laryngectomy. Results Objective (23.4 to 47.5 points, p < .0001) and subjective (51.6 to 64.7 points, p < .0001) speech intelligibility improved between 6 months and 1 year after total laryngectomy. Patients who used tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) had the best results in speech intelligibility 6 months and 1 year after total laryngectomy. In all, 12% of the patients who used TEP initial…