[Recent advances in rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients]

This paper describes recent advances in surgical and behavioral rehabilitation for voice, speech and swallowing disorders caused by surgeries for head and neck cancer. Voice disorders result from total laryngectomy, partial laryngectomy and vocal fold laser surgery. Voice prostheses have been recently employed as one of the choices for laryngectomized patients. Surgical reconstruction and voice therapy are the modalities for voice disorders following partial laryngectomy. Dysphonia caused by laser surgery is treated by means of voice therapy. Speech disorders occur following extensive surgery for cancers of the oral cavity and oropharynx. Reconstructive surgery and speech therapy are the modalities to be employed. Swallowing problems are caused by supraglottic horizontal laryngectomy, partial laryngopharyngectomy, extensive surgery for cancers of the oral cavity and oropharynx, surgery for parotid gland and skin cancers associated with a section of the vagus nerve and surgery for esophageal cancers. Surgical treatment and swallow therapy are employed. Surgical treatment is divided into five groups: surgery for velopharyngeal incompetence, those for glottic incompetence, laryngeal suspension surgery, narrowing surgery of the pharynx and cricopharyngeal myotomy. Some cases are described for each treatment modality.