Evaluation of health-related quality of life with EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 in Romanian laryngeal cancer patients.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQL) according to: type of surgery, adjuvant oncological treatment and postoperative complications. We performed a retrospective case-control study between October 2013 and November 2014 at the Ear Nose and Throat Clinic of Cluj-Napoca. We included patients diagnosed with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer treated with total or partial laryngectomy, and a sample of healthy volunteers recruited from the hospital stuff. We used the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EOTRC) core questionnaires (the QLQ-C30 version 3) and the head and neck cancer module (the QLQ-H&N35). We included in the study 80 patients diagnosed and surgically treated for laryngeal/hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 20 healthy volunteers. Median age of the patients was 59.90 years. The most common location was the larynx, in 72 (90 %) of cases and the hypopharynx in 8 (10 %) cases. Sixty-six (82, 50 %) underwent total laryngectomy and 14 (17, 50 %) a partial laryngectomy. Forty-eight patients had received external radiation therapy, with adjuvant chemotherapy in 25 patients. Postoperative complication rates were 14 (17, 50 %) cases. We found a low score in total laryngectomy group regarding functional scales: role (28.03), emotional (37.75) and social (37.88) and a high score on insomnia (35.86) and financial difficulties (45.45). Partial laryngectomy group had a high score on functional scales: role (47.62), emotional (51.19) and social (52.38). These two QOL instruments were effective for Romanian patients. The QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire discriminating better the problems between groups compared with QLQ-C30.

Vagal paraganglioma: imaging versus intraoperative findings.

A 59-year-old woman presented with a mass on the jugulo-digastric level. Inspection of the oral cavity showed medial bulging of the left pharyngeal wall and tonsil. Transcutaneous ultrasonography showed a vascular tumor of the parapharyngeal space with complete encirclement of the internal carotid artery. Magnetic resonance angiography and common carotid angiography showed the bloody support from the external carotid artery of that tumor. During the surgical procedure, we identified the tumor, who arises from the vagus nerve and who had multiple fine arterial branches from the internal carotid artery until the skull base. We performed complete resection of the parapharyngeal tumor, by transcervical approach, with sacrificed the vagus nerve. The histopathological report showed a vagal paraganglioma. After one year is no sign of recurrence.