2023 Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages 142-147
Laryngectomy still plays an important role in the treatment of head and neck cancer. However, laryngectomized patients experience several difficulties in their lives because of the loss of their original voice. This study aimed to record the original voice before laryngectomy via a recording application or studio recording in patients who planned to undergo laryngectomy (Save the Voice project). In 2021, a multicenter prospective observational study was initiated for patients who planned to undergo laryngectomy in Japan. Before surgery, patients recorded their original voices using a voice recording application or in a recording studio. After laryngectomy, electrolarynx voices were obtained and stored in our database system. The study included 34 patients who were managed in three academic university hospitals (30 males, 4 females; median age at the time of surgery, 69 [range, 46–80] years). The tumor sites were the hypopharynx in 21 patients, esophagus in 6, larynx in 5, oropharynx in 1, and trachea in 1 patient. Among the 34 patients, the original voices were preoperatively recorded via a voice-recording application in 28 patients and via a recording studio in 6 patients. Preoperative recording of the patient’s original voice is essential to regenerate the voice after laryngectomy.
