Acoustic Characteristics of Voice before and after Endoscopic Partial Laryngectomy in Early Glottic Cancer

Objectives To evaluate the voice changes after narrow-margin endoscopic partial laryngectomy in subjects with T1N0M0 glottic cancer. Study Design Uncontrolled retrospective comparison of preoperative and postoperative mean phonation time; fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio; and voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL) survey scores. Methods Seventeen adults diagnosed with T1N0M0 glottic cancer who underwent narrow-margin endoscopic partial laryngectomy were included. All subjects had preoperative and postoperative acoustic evaluation and V-RQOL scores. Subjects were separated into three groups based on age and depth of resection. Group A (mean age, 52 years) consisted of seven subjects who underwent superficial resection (superficial layer of lamina propria) and were younger than 60 years. Group B (mean age, 76 years) consisted of six subjects who were older than 60 years and underwent superficial resection (superficial layer of lamina propria). The four subjects in group C were older than 60 years and underwent deep resection (into the vocal ligament and/or into the thyroarytenoid muscle). Results There was a statistically significant improvement in V-RQOL in group A. The acoustic measures did not change after surgery (no P < 0.05). Conclusion For early-stage cancer, patients younger than 60 years and superficial resection of cancer are predictive for better voice.