The Transformative Power of a Smile in Laryngectomees

After undergoing a laryngectomy, I received invaluable advice from a seasoned laryngectomee: before engaging in conversation, always start with a smile. He emphasized that this simple gesture has been instrumental in fostering a positive and approachable demeanor, particularly given the challenges of being understood with his altered voice. This was an invaluable advice that I learned to appreciate time and again.

The human smile is a universal language, transcending barriers of culture, language, and circumstance. Its power lies not only in its ability to convey happiness but also in its capacity to heal, comfort, and connect. For laryngectomees, individuals who have undergone surgery to remove their voice box due to cancer or other medical conditions, the simple act of smiling takes on profound significance, serving as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. 

Laryngectomy is a life-altering procedure that not only robs individuals of their voice but also challenges their sense of identity and communication. The loss of speech can lead to feelings of isolation, frustration, and diminished self-esteem. However, amidst the silence, the smile emerges as a powerful tool for communication and emotional expression. 

A smile is more than just the movement of facial muscles; it is a reflection of the inner strength and resilience of the human spirit. For laryngectomees, whose voices may be silenced, the smile becomes their voice, speaking volumes without uttering a single word. It conveys warmth, kindness, and positivity, transcending the limitations imposed by their condition. 

Moreover, the act of smiling has been scientifically proven to have numerous physical and psychological benefits. When we smile, our brains release endorphins, neurotransmitters that promote feelings of happiness and reduce stress. This natural mood booster not only uplifts the spirits of laryngectomees but also enhances their overall well-being. 

Furthermore, a smile is contagious, capable of brightening the darkest of days and fostering connections with others. For laryngectomees navigating a world where communication may be challenging, a genuine smile can break down barriers, fostering empathy, understanding, and acceptance in their interactions with others. 

Beyond its individual impact, the smile of a laryngectomee serves as a beacon of hope for others facing similar challenges. It embodies resilience, courage, and optimism in the face of adversity, inspiring others to find strength in their own struggles. 

In addition to its emotional and social significance, the smile plays a practical role in the rehabilitation process for laryngectomees. Speech therapists often incorporate smile exercises into therapy sessions to help improve facial muscle control and articulation, facilitating the development of alternative methods of communication such as esophageal speech or the use of assistive devices. 

The power of a smile in the lives of laryngectomees cannot be overstated. Beyond its role as a symbol of joy and positivity, the smile serves as a lifeline, connecting individuals to their inner resilience and to the world around them. In a journey marked by challenges and obstacles, the simple act of smiling emerges as a beacon of hope, lighting the path towards healing, acceptance, and connection.

Anxiety, depression and quality of life following laryngectomy. A long-term prospective evaluation.

 

Mukoyama and colleagues from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; assessed anxiety, depression and quality of life  in 150 patients with head and neck cancer undergoing laryngectomy.

The surgical procedures were total laryngectomy, pharyngo-laryngectomy and pharyngo-laryngo-oesophagectomy in 97 (65%), 41 (27%) and 12 (8%) patients, respectively. All quality of life items were significantly worse than those of the normal population at baseline and at 3 months after surgery. However, general health, vitality, mental health and bodily pain improved to normal levels within 1 year after surgery and were maintained for 5 years. In this study, 35% of patients were categorized as potential cases of depression, and 35% were potential cases of anxiety. During the follow-up period, the proportion of patients with anxiety gradually decreased after surgery.

The authors concluded that anxiety, depression and quality of life in laryngectomized patients improved at one year after surgery and were maintained throughout the 5 years of the study..

Dr Itzhak Brook Keynote address. “ Back to Life” 2nd Annual Head and Neck Cancer Patient & Caregiver Symposium at Keck Medicine University of California. April 6, 2024.

 

Dr. Itzhak Brook Keynote address. “Back to Life”  after laryngectomy 2nd Annual Head and Neck Cancer Patient & Caregiver Symposium at Keck Medicine University of California. April 6, 2024

How wearing a hearing aid can improve speech

 

Hearing loss may make individuals perceive that their voice is weaker than it actually is. It may contribute to social isolation and make laryngectomees try to speak louder. In those who use tracheoesophageal speech and are trying to speak louder by generating greater expiratory effort a separation of the HME base plate from the skin can occur. This is especially true in those who use a hands free HME. Wearing a hearing aid enables a laryngectomee to hear their actual voice.

Decisional Conflict in Patients with Advanced Laryngeal Carcinoma

Heirman and colleagues from the Department of Head-and-Neck Oncology and Surgery, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, studied the decision conflict in patients with a locally advanced laryngeal carcinoma (T3 and T4). The decision is challenging due to the treatment choice between organ preservation and laryngectomy, both with different and high impact on function and quality of life (QoL). The complexity of these treatment decisions and their possible consequences might lead to decisional conflict (DC). This study aimed to explore the level of DC in locally advanced laryngeal carcinoma patients facing curative decision-making, and to identify possible associated factors.

Participants completed questionnaires on DC, level of shared decision-making (SDM), and a knowledge test directly after counseling and 6 months after treatment.

Directly after counseling by their medical providers, almost all participants (44/45; 98%) experienced clinically significant DC score (CSDC >25, scale 0-100). On average, patients scored 47% (SD 20%) correct on the knowledge test. Questions related to radiotherapy were answered best (SD 69%), whilst only 35% (SD 29%) of the questions related to laryngectomy were answered correctly. Patients' perceived level of SDM (scale 0-100) was 70, and for physicians this was 70 .

The authors concluded that most patients with advanced larynx cancer experience high levels of DC. Low knowledge levels regarding treatment aspects indicate a need for better patient counseling.

A poem by Anne Pitkin about life challenges of Laryngectomee published in JAMA in the Healing and Poetry Section January 23, 2024

 You can do everything you did before except swim.

If you swim, water will flood your lungs

    through the hole in your neck.

I can buzz Like a swarm of hornets.

I can see and I can hear.

I can walk into a store and buy groceries.

I can answer the phone. I can talk

in a voice not my own, not the instrument

by which I think out loud to learn what I am thinking,

the instrument by which you might have known me,

    by which I taught my classes, called the dog, loved—

the instrument I songed with, guffawed with

    so people could hear me coming,

the instrument with which I imitated Ethel Merman,

Florence Foster Jenkins, Martin’s parrot,

My seventh-grade teacher saying through her nose

    I am so tired of the asinine things you kids do…

I am an iceberg’s tip, my substance mute,

the moon without a shadow, a grove without wind or birds,

a street without nuance.

What used to be fluid lines of speech puddle unfinished,

the whispered aside, the quick wisecrack beyond me.

I used to love telling the story of the drunken Brits

awaiting the end of the world, counting down,

ten, nine, eight…all the way to 1—a pause

my best cockney,

Well, it ain’t the conflagration we’d been bankin’ on.

And it ain’t.

Someone online said, I’d rather die.

I did not. I am here. I am telling you this.

Anne Pitkin

Read the original publication in JAMA 

Artificial Intelligence helping laryngectomees to speak again

 The developments in artificial intelligence led to developments that can help laryngectomees use new ways by which they can speak again. Most of these methods are in the developmental stages. However, some, such as Google Duplex is available today.

Google Duplex is an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that mimics a human voice and makes phone calls on a person's behalf. It enables users to perform a variety of tasks -- including make reservations, schedule appointments and perform other functions -- without having to speak to someone.

Whispp’s language independent AI technology and calling app converts whispered speech and vocal cord impaired speech into a clear and natural voice of one’s choice, without any delay. By providing recordings, one’s Whispp voice can sound like the person’s own healthy voice.

Other methods of generating speech are under development. Tank and his colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin, have developed a non-invasive language decoder that can reconstruct speech from functional MRI data. This technology can one day help people who have lost their ability to speak called a semantic decoder. 

The Australian start-up Laronix is developing a bionic device that uses AI-based voice-cloning technology to restore the voices of laryngectomees.

 

Dysautonomia in oral and head and neck cancer patients

Dysautonomia is an umbrella term referring to a group of several medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). This is the part of the nervous system that controls automatic processes or the things that one’s body does without having to think about them, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation, and constriction of the pupils of the eye, kidney function, and temperature control. Dysautonomia can be acute and reversible or non-reversable, chronic and progressive.

Dysautonomias in adults often are associated with, and may be secondary to, another disease process or a drug.  Common secondary causes include medications, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, spinal cord or head injury, or diabetes . 

Oral, head and neck cancer patients that receive radiation as part of their treatments, can have varying degrees of scatter radiation to these structures, and years after treatment develop some of the manifestations of dysautonomia. When the ANS doesn’t work as it should, it can cause heart and blood pressure problems, trouble breathing, and loss of bladder control among other symptoms.

People living with various forms of dysautonomia have trouble regulating some of the ANS systems, which can result in lightheadedness, fainting, unstable blood pressure, abnormal heart rates, and malnutrition.

● Balance Problems

● Fatigue

● Nausea, Vomiting, GI Trouble

● Irregular Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

● Fainting/ Loss of Consciousness

● Lightheadedness, Dizziness, Vertigo

● Brain Fog/ Forgetfulness

● Exercise intolerance

Patients with autonomic disorders usually require a multi-disciplinary team, as autonomic disorders can impact almost every organ and system of the body. While each specialist will have his or her own areas of expertise, it is still important for each member of the patient’s team to be familiar with the most up-to-date information on the patient’s autonomic disorder.

There is no cure for dysautonomia. Secondary forms of dysautonomia may improve with treatment of the underlying disease. The best that can be done is to deal with the various manifestations of it and their individual symptoms. Treating symptomology is not the same as treating the disease and is a coping mechanism not a cure. Lifestyle changes will be necessary for many of the symptoms to be reduced or mitigated.

Read more about dysautonomia at https://thedysautonomiaproject.org/dysautonomia/

Patients requiring multiple dilations are at increased risk of persistent dysphagia long-term.

 

Following total laryngectomy (TL) or laryngopharyngectomy (TLP), patients may develop strictures that Head Neck require multiple dilations to treat. However, the risk factors associated with dysphagia refractory to a single dilation are unknown.

 Cortina et al from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, studied the risk factors to requiring dilations after TL/TLP.  49 patients who underwent at least one stricture dilation after TL/TLP between March 2013 and March 2022 were evauated.  Thirty-five (71%) patients underwent multiple dilations. Pharyngocutaneous fistula, primary chemoradiation therapy, and a shorter time interval from TL/TLP to first dilation were independently associated with dysphagia requiring multiple dilations. Patients in the multiple dilations group had a higher rate of limited diet and G-tube dependence compared to patients in the single dilation group.

The authors concluded that shorter time interval to stricture formation is a prognostic indicator of the need for multiple dilations following TL/TLP. Patients requiring multiple dilations are at increased risk of persistent dysphagia long-term.

Endoscopic dilation balloon

Quality of Life, Dysphagia, Voice Problems, Depression, and Anxiety after Laryngectomy

 

Wulff and colleagues from Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark.; determine health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including voice problems, dysphagia, depression, and anxiety after total laryngectomy, and investigate the associations between HRQoL and the late effects.

The 172 participants scored worse than normative reference populations on all scales/itemss, except one, and almost half of the scales/items showed a clinically relevant difference. Moderate/severe dysphagia was present in 46%, moderate/severe voice problems in 57%, depression in 16%, and anxiety in 20%. Younger age, increasing numbers of comorbidities, increasing voice problems, increasing dysphagia, and increasing depression symptoms, were associated with a lowered EORTC QLQ-C30 summary score.

The study illustrated that a substantial proportion of participants experienced clinically significant late effects and increasing levels of these were associated with a lowered HRQoL.

Loneliness and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients

 

Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are at risk of loneliness because of the effects of the disease and its treatment on important social interactive functions such as appearance, speech, facial expression, and eating. Dahill and colleagues from Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool, UK, evaluated the association between loneliness and the quality of life, mental illness, physical health, and premature mortality.

The investigators survived 140 patients treated for primary squamous cell HNC between 2015 and 2016. Tumor sites were oropharyngeal (42%), oral (35%), laryngeal (14%), and elsewhere (9%).

In response to the question "How often do you feel lonely?" three-quarters said "hardly ever" and only 6% "often". Similar responses were obtained for the other three indicator questions. It is encouraging that a relatively small proportion had serious issues with loneliness. Similarly, one-quarter had feelings of loneliness and a minority had serious problems. Patients who were younger, who lived in more deprived circumstances, who had advanced disease and had been treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy reported greater levels of loneliness.

The study showed that loneliness was associated with a worse overall quality of life, and worse physical and social-emotional function. Dahill and colleagues recommended that lonely patients need to be identified as early as possible so that support and interventions can be implemented and outcomes improved. 

Information about support and interventions to help individuals with HNC click this link. 

Tobacco Cessation Following Laryngeal Cancer Diagnosis Predicts Response to Treatment and Laryngectomy-Free Survival

Krutz and colleagues from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center studied the effect of tobacco cessation following laryngealcancer diagnosis on response to first-line therapy, laryngectomy-free survival, and overall survival in patients who were current smokers at the time of diagnosis.

The authors evaluated 140 patients diagnosed with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, who were smokers at the time of diagnosis, and were treated with first-line definitive radiation or chemo/radiation with the intent to cure.

Of the 140 current smokers, 61 patients (45%) quit smoking prior to treatment initiation. Smoking, quitters had 3.7 times higher odds of achieving a complete response to first-line therapy than active smokers (odds ratio: 3.694 [1.575-8.661]; P = .003).  Quitters were 54% less likely to require salvage laryngectomy within 7 years of diagnosis than active smokers (hazard ratio: 0.456 [0.246-0.848]; P = .013). Quitters had a statistically significant increase in 7-year overall survival compared to active smokers (P = .02).

This is the first study to show that in newly diagnosed laryngeal cancer patients who are current smokers at the time of diagnosis, tobacco cessation significantly increases therapy response, laryngectomy-free survival, and overall survival. These data stress the importance of systematically incorporating tobacco cessation programs into laryngeal cancer treatment plans.

Who is the best surgeon and what is the best place to have laryngectomy?

 

Saraswathula from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues evaluated therelationship between surgeon volume and operative morbidity and mortality for laryngectomy.

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to identify 45,156 patients who underwent laryngectomy procedures for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer between 2001 and 2011. 

The authors found that higher-volume surgeons were more likely to operate at large, teaching, nonprofit hospitals and were more likely to treat patients who were white, had private insurance, hypopharyngeal cancer, low comorbidity, admitted electively, and to perform partial laryngectomy, concurrent neck dissection, and flap reconstruction. Surgeons treating more than 5 cases per year were associated with lower odds of medical and surgical complications, with a greater reduction in the odds of complications with increasing surgical volume. Surgeons in the top volume quintile (>9 cases/year) were associated with a decreased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.09 [0.01-0.74]), postoperative surgical complications (OR = 0.58 [0.45-0.74]), and acute medical complications (OR = 0.49 [0.37-0.64]). Surgeon volume accounted for 95% of the effect of hospital volume on mortality and 16%-47% of the effect of hospital volume on postoperative morbidity.

The authors concluded that there is a strong volume-outcome relationship for laryngectomy, with reduced mortality and morbidity associated with higher surgeon and higher hospital volumes. Observed associations between hospital volume and operative morbidity and mortality are mediated by surgeon volume, suggesting that surgeon volume is an important component of the favorable outcomes of high-volume hospital care.

Fatal Tracheoesophageal Puncture Leakage Associated With Lenvatinib.

Fatal tracheoesophageal puncture leakage associated with Lenvatinib treatment was reported by Salvatori S. and Tanvetyanon  T.  from Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL. The report was published in Cureus [15(8): e43490]. 

Tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) is a voice restorative is often used in laryngectomees. Though generally safe, TEP may develop leakage. Lenvatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with anti-tumoral activity against head and neck malignancies. TKIs, including lenvatinib, have been associated with organ perforation or fistula formation. The authors described a patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the larynx who had a TEP for several years. After approximately two weeks of treatment with lenvatinib, the patient developed a leakage of TEP. Despite several interventions, the patient died three months afterward due to a retropharyngeal abscess secondary to Fusobacterium nucleatum infection.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of fatal lenvatinib-associated TEP leakage. They urge clinicians to be cognizant of the potentially rapid development of this complication when prescribing TKI for patients with TEP.

 

Leakage through voice prosthesis barrel (central leakage):

Quality of sexual life after total laryngectomy for cancer.

 Babin and colleagues from the Department of Otolaryngology of the University of Caen France, reviewed 24 studies that evaluated sexual life after total laryngectomy (TL) for cancer. The main endpoint was the impact of impairment of quality of sexual life after TL. The secondary endpoints were the type of sexual impairment, associated variables and their treatment.

 The study population consisted of 1511 TL patients aged 21 to 90 years, with a male/female sex ratio of 7.5/1. Impaired quality of sexual life was reported by 47% of patients on average. Erectile and ejaculatory function and ejaculatory behavior of male patients decreased after TL. Other impairments comprised decreases in libido, frequency of sexual intercourse and satisfaction. Tracheostomy, advanced disease stage, young age and associated depression were factors for impairment. In all, 23% of patients reported lack of postoperative support in this area.

The authors concluded that laryngectomy impacted both patients and partners, negative effects being reported in more than 30% of cases. The physical transformation has aesthetic and emotional impact, inhibiting sexuality. the quality of sexual life is severely impacted by TL for cancer. There is patient demand for improved management of sexuality.

RESOURCES FOR LARYNGECTOMEES By Itzhak Brook MD , M Sc,

 

•       The Laryngectomee Guide. Paperback and Kindle at http://goo.gl/z8RxEt   Free download at https://www.entnet.org/laryngectomee-guide/  (helpful for new patients)

The Laryngectomee Guide is available (Free eBooks) in 24 languages. https://dribrook.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-laryngectomee-guide-is-available-in.html

 

•       The Laryngectomee Guide Expanded Edition, 5TH  edition., Paperback and Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBJPY5P2  Free download at https://bit.ly/3QGTqNa

(Recommended for seasoned patients)

 

•      The “Laryngectomee Guide for COVID-19 Pandemic” provides information for laryngectomee and neck breathers how to cope with the pandemic. The E books are free. Available at https://amzn.to/3i5XncR   as paperback, and at  https://bit.ly/3hZHynb   as eBook (free).

 

•       “My Voice: A Physician’s Personal Experience with Throat Cancer.” Paperback and Kindle at http://goo.gl/j3r51V   Free download at https://dribrook.blogspot.com/p/my-voice-physicians-personal-experience.html  

 

•        Rescue breathing of neck breathers including laryngectomees

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE-n8cgl77Q  

Manual: https://bit.ly/3k1iRO5   

 

Pravastatin antifibrotic efficacy in reversing radiation-induced fibrosis after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer

 

A prospective study done by Celine Bourgier and colleagues from Université de Montpellier, France; .showed that pravastatin (a statin) is an efficient antifibrotic agent in patients with established cutaneous and subcutaneous radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. 

The primary endpoint was reduction of RIF thickness by more than 30% at 12 months, as measured by cutaneous high-frequency ultrasonography. Secondary endpoints included RIF severity reduction, pravastatin tolerance, and quality of life. 

Sixty patients were enrolled from February 2011 to April 2016. The mean interval between RIF diagnosis and pravastatin initiation was 17.1 months. Pravastatin was stopped before 11 months of treatment in 18 patients (because of grade ≥2 adverse events related to pravastatin in 8 patients [13%]). In the 40 patients in whom pravastatin efficacy was assessed by high-frequency ultrasonography at baseline and at 12 months of treatment, a reduction of RIF thickness ≥30% was observed in 15 of 42 patients (35.7%). At the 12-month clinical evaluation, RIF severity was decreased in 50% of patients (n = 21), and the patients' self-perception, mood state, and social functioning were significantly improved. Pravastatin was well tolerated.

 The authors concluded that this phase 2 prospective study supports the notion of radioinduced fibrosis reversibility. It showed that pravastatin (40 mg/d for 12 months) is an efficient antifibrotic agent in patients with grade ≥2 cutaneous and subcutaneous fibrosis after head and neck cancer radiation therapy.

Hyperventilation in neck breathers including laryngectomees.

 Hyperventilation can occur in neck breathers including laryngectomees. Hyperventilation reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. It can upset the acid-base balance in the blood making it more alkaline. The syndrome is characterized by repeated episodes of excessive ventilation in response to fear, anxiety or panic. It can also occur during an orgasm or intense sexual activity, as well as heavy physical activity.

Neck breathers are more prone to this condition because rapid breathing ventilate the lungs quicker than in non-neck breathers as the inhaled air enter the trachea through the stoma, bypassing the upper airways.

The existence of hyperventilation in laryngectomees was evaluated by Brook by sending a questioner to 256 laryngectomees. Fifty-four of the 72 individuals who return the questioner experienced one or more episodes of hyperventilation. It was associated with heavy physical activity in 28 (51%) individuals, sexual activity in 15 (38%), anxiety in 8 (15%), and intense coughing in 7 (13%). The symptoms experienced were: fast or deep breathing in all cases, shortness of breath (50 or 96%); anxiety, fear, panic, or strong feeling of dread or doom (38 or 70%); dizziness (27 or 50%); generalized weakness (16 or 30%); sweating (13 or 34%); fainting (4 or 7%); and chest pain (4 or 7%).

This small survey illustrates that laryngectomees do experience hyperventilation syndrome.

Further studies are warranted to prospectively evaluate the incidence of hyperventilation in laryngectomees and other neck breathers. Such studies may highlight the need to address, prevent and treat this condition in laryngectomees.

First total laryngectomy by Theodor Billroth 150 years ago.

 

On December 31, 1873, in the Vienna surgery clinic, the German surgeon Theodor Billroth managed what no previous surgeon had been able to: complete ablation of the larynx in a human being, which quickly came to be known as “total laryngectomy”, without harmful immediate consequences. Billroth dared what none before had done. He had come to the conclusion that “the only way of saving life was to remove the entire larynx.”

This first total ablation of the larynx, preceded by a tracheotomy, was one of the great surprises of 19th century surgery.

This was possible because of the prior experimental study of laryngeal ablation performed in dogs by Vincent Czerny. The French physician Henri Chouppe enthused: “when experimental studies lead to practical results, one should hasten to do It”.

    Theodor Billroth operating 

Comparison of anxiety and depressive of head and neck cancer patients before and during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.

 

Jiani Liu and colleagues from  Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China,  studied the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety and depressive symptoms of cancer patients before and during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 526 head and neck cancer patients were included in the final analysis; 27% of cases experienced anxiety and depression before the pandemic and 50 % during the COVID-19 pandemic. (P=0.018).

The present study demonstrates the significant impact of COVID-19 on the psychological states of cancer patients. This findings indicating the need for appropriate changes in treatment decisions, enhanced psychotherapy, and interventions to reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression, and even suicide during the pandemic.

"The 5th Edition of the Laryngectomee Guide Expanded Edition is available.

The 5th Edition of the Laryngectomee Guide Expanded Edition is available now. The 325 pages Expanded Guide is an updated and revised edition of the original Laryngectomee Guide. It is three time larger than the original Guide and also contains information how laryngectomees can protect themselves from COVID-19. It provides information that can assist laryngectomees and their caregivers with medical, dental and psychological issues. It contains information about side effects of radiation and chemotherapy; methods of speaking; airway, stoma, and voice prosthesis care; eating and swallowing; medical, dental and psychological concerns.

The E Book is free for download. 

The Guide is also available in Amazon   

Itzhak Brook MD

Atorvastatin is associated with reduced cisplatin-induced hearing loss in head and neck cancer petients

Cisplatin is widely used to treat cancers. It is the most ototoxic drug in clinical use, resulting in permanent hearing loss in approximately 50% of treated patients. There is a major need for therapies that prevent cisplatin-induced hearing loss. Studies in mice suggest that concurrent use of statins reduces cisplatin-induced hearing loss.

Fernandez and her colleagues (from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and Johns Hopkins University, Maryland ; University of Rochester Medical Center, New York; and Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; USA) retrospectively examined hearing thresholds from 277 adults treated with cisplatin for head and neck cancer. The results were published in Clinical Trial Journal of Clinical  Investigation in 2021.

Pretreatment and posttreatment audiograms were collected within 90 days of initiation and completion of cisplatin therapy. The primary outcome measure was a change in hearing as defined by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE).

Among patients on concurrent atorvastatin, 9.7% experienced a CTCAE grade 2 or higher cisplatin-induced hearing loss compared with 29.4% in nonstatin users (P < 0.0001).

 Analysis showed that atorvastatin use was significantly associated with reduced cisplatin-induced hearing loss (P ≤ 0.01). An adjusted odds ratio (OR) analysis indicated that an atorvastatin user is 53% less likely to acquire a cisplatin-induced hearing loss than a nonstatin user (OR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.30-0.78). Three-year survival rates were not different between atorvastatin users and nonstatin users (P > 0.05).

The data indicate that atorvastatin use is associated with reduced incidence and severity of cisplatin-induced hearing loss in adults being treated for head and neck cancer. A prospective study is currently  conducted to evaluate the efficacy of statins in preventing hearing loss by cisplatin.

Correction of carotid artery stenosis by stent placement ameliorated paroxysmal hypertension after radiation treatment of hypopharyngeal carcinoma:

 

Paroxysmal hypertension can be associated with failure of the carotid artery baroreceptors due to past exposure to radiation treatment. A case report describes a patient whose repeated paroxysmal hypertensive episodes were ameliorated following placement of a carotid artery stent for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis.

The patient that was diagnosed with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in 2006, and received 70 Gy intensity-modulated radiotherapy in 2006 and underwent a total laryngectomy in 2008. He experienced paroxysmal hypertensive episodes since 2010 that exacerbated in frequency in 2019. Eighty percent left internal carotid artery stenosis was demonstrated by ultrasound and arteriography. Angioplasty and stenting of the left carotid artery was performed. A Doppler ultrasound study performed 5 months after the stent placement did not reveal any hemodynamic stenosis in the left carotid artery. The patient experienced postprandial hypotension and had experienced only three episodes of paroxysmal hypertension in the following 24 months. He was able to abort paroxysmal hypertensive episodes by eating warm food.

This is the first report of a patient whose paroxysmal hypertensive episodes that occurred following radiation of the neck subsided after placement of a stent in a stenotic carotid artery. The exact mechanism leading to this phenomena is unknown but may be due to several factors. The reversal of the carotid artery stent and improvement in blood flow to the carotid artery baroceptors may play a role in this phenomenon. Conclusion: The ability to ameliorate paroxysmal hypertensive episodes in a patient with carotid artery stenosis by stent placement may be a promising therapeutic intervention for paroxysmal hypertension.

                  Angiogram of the left carotid artery before stenting showing 80% stenosis

                                  Angiogram of the left carotid artery after stenting, no stenosis

Tracheitis in a laryngectomee due to Gram-negative bacteria

 

Laryngectomees run the risk of developing respiratory tract infections. A laryngectomee who developed trachitis is presented Brook to illustrate the risks and difficulties encountered in managing this infection in neck breather.

The patient presented with coughing of viscous green purulent sputum. He has been wearing a heat moisture exchanger filter (HME) spoke through a tracheo-esophageal voice prosthesis. The symptoms started 2 days after his voice prosthesis started to leak whenever he consumed liquids.

Sputum culture grew heavy growth of Klebseilla oxytoca, and Moraxella catararhalis, and medium growth of Stenothrophomonas (Xanthohmonas) maltophilia. The patient recovered after he was treated with oral levofloxacin  for 5 days. Humidification of the trachea and the airway was maintained by repeated insertions of 3-5 cc respiratory saline into the stoma at least once every two hours; and by breathing humidified air. The leaking voice prosthesis was replaced enabling the patient to consume adequate amount of fluids.

This is the first report of bacterial tracheitis due to multiple Gram-negative aerobic and facultative bacteria in a laryngectomee. The etiology of tracheitis in this patient is most likely due to aspiration of oral flora that contained these organisms through the leaking voice prosthesis (, or their acquisition through the stoma. A change in the consistency and color of the sputum was most likely due to the tracheal inflammation caused by these organisms. Obtaining a bacterial culture enabled their recovery and adequate elimination. 

Laryngectomees are at risk of aspirating liquids containing bacteria. When unclean liquids get into the lower respiratory tract, they can sometimes cause infection. Developing aspiration pneumonia depends on how much liquid is inhaled and how much is coughed out, as well as on the individuals' immune system.

This report highlights the importance of obtaining bacterial cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility that enabled eliminating the pathogens and restoring adequate mucus production. Treatment with a short course of antimicrobial as well as maintaining adequate hydration and respiratory tract humidification can restore the adequacy of the mucus.

Getting infected with both COVID-19 and influenza viruses

 

Co-infection of COVID-19 with other respiratory pathogens which may complicate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of COVID-19 emerge new concern. Eleven prevalence studies with total of 3,070 patients with COVID-19, and 79 patients with concurrent COVID-19 and influenza were evaluated by Dadashi et al from Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran .The overlap of COVID-19 and influenza, as two epidemics at the same time can occur in the cold months of the year. The prevalence of influenza infection was 0.8% in patients with confirmed COVID-19. The frequency of influenza virus co-infection among patients with COVID-19 was 4.5% in Asia and 0.4% in the America. 

This information highlights the importance of getting properly vaccinated for both COVID-19 and influenza and practicing safe prevention (wearing masks and maintaining distance) as advised by the local health authorities. Neck breathers including laryngectomee should practice extra vigilance to avoid respiratory infections.