Intelligibility and perceptual ratings after treatment for laryngeal cancer:: Laryngectomy versus radiotherapy

In Sweden the most common treatment for T3-T4 laryngeal carcinoma is radical radiotherapy (with surgery for salvage), because the voice is thus preserved. A Swedish study showed that surgery yielded a significantly better 5-year survival and locoregional control at 3 years in T4 laryngeal carcinoma than radical radiotherapy. With these results in mind, we wanted to compare the different modes of treatment (surgery with a tracheoesophageal [TE] fistula and radical radiotherapy) with respect to the patients' speech proficiency. Twenty-eight subjects (with 14 patients in each treatment group) were judged by inexperienced and experienced listeners according to intelligibility by transcription and three perceptual ratings. From the perceptual ratings of speech intelligibility, voice quality, and speech acceptability we conclude that there is a significant difference, the irradiated speakers being rated higher that the tracheoesophageal speakers. It is also clear that most of the TE and irradiated laryngeal speaking patients are comparable to normal laryngeal speakers in intelligibility by transcription. Experienced and inexperienced listeners are able to rate TE and irradiated laryngeal speech reliably and similarly according to intelligibility by transcription. The inexperienced listeners rated the TE speakers significantly higher than did the experienced listeners.