Abstract
Objective: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal
cancer was introduced to ensure better functional preservation with less
morbidity. However, long-term functional outcomes, especially speech and
swallowing outcomes, have not been thoroughly investigated. This study
aimed to evaluate the long-term functional swallowing and speech
outcomes after transoral robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer.
Methods We studied 41 patients
with oropharyngeal squamous cell
carcinoma who underwent TORS
between January 2010 and December
2018. Tongue mobility, maximal
phonation time, articulation, verbal diadochokinesis, reading speed, and
modified barium swallowing tests were performed between two and three
years after TORS to analyze the long-term functional speech and
swallowing outcomes.
Results: The mean patient age was 57.7 ± 9.9 years, and the
male to female ratio was 34:7. The most common subsite was the palatine
tonsil (73.2%), followed by the base of tongue (22.0%). Forty patients
(97.6%) underwent concomitant neck dissection, and 36 patients (87.8%)
received adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation therapy.
Tongue mobility, maximum
phonation time, articulation, verbal diadochokinesis, and reading speed
were not different from those of the normal population. Modified barium
swallowing outcomes were acceptable in most patients; however, one
patient (2.4%) was dependent on a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
tube. None of the patients required a permanent tracheostomy.
Conclusions: Long-term speech and swallowing functions after
TORS were acceptable in most patients with oropharyngeal cancer. TORS is
an excellent treatment modality for oropharyngeal cancer in terms of
functional outcomes.
Key words: Oropharyngeal cancer ·Transoral robotic surgery
·Functional outcomes · Speech · Swallowing · Modified barium swallowing