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Background: Posttreatment speech problems are seen in nearly half of patients with head and neck cancer. Although there are many voice-specific scales, surprisingly there is no speech-specific questionnaire for English-speaking patients with head and neck cancer. The aim of this study was to validate the Speech Handicap Index (SHI) as the first speech-specific questionnaire in the English language.
Method: In all, 55 consecutive patients in follow-up for oral and oropharyngeal cancer completed the SHI and University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UWQOL V.04). Thirty-two patients completed both questionnaires again 4 weeks later to address test-retest reliability.
Results: Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and group validity of the SHI were found to be highly significant (p < .01) using Cronbach's alpha, Spearman's correlation coefficient (r), and Mann-Whitney U tests.
Conclusions: The SHI is a precise, highly reliable, and valid speech assessment tool for patients with head and neck cancer. Further dedicated studies using the SHI in patients with head and neck cancer would be useful.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hed.21450 | DOI Listing |
JCO Glob Oncol
May 2025
Grupo Oncoclínicas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a significant public health burden in developing countries, where access to early diagnosis, comprehensive care, and research infrastructure is limited. This article synthesizes the insights generated during a Fireside Chat convened by members of the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG)-Head and Neck and the Brazilian Group of Head and Neck Cancer (GBCP), with the participation of international expert Professor Hisham Mehanna. The discussion addressed key challenges and opportunities in clinical and translational research within resource-constrained settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRetina
September 2025
Retina Division, Stein Eye Institute, University of California of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Purpose: To describe the clinical and multimodal imaging features of a novel form of macular neovascularization (MNV), designated Type 4 MNV, defined by mixed Type 1 and Type 2 neovascularization (NV), extensive intraretinal anastomotic NV, and central posterior hyaloid fibrosis (CPHF).
Methods: This multicenter retrospective observational case series included patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) exhibiting both Type 1 and 2 MNV and an overlying anastomotic intraretinal NV network. This was confirmed with OCT and OCT angiography (OCTA).
Menopause
September 2025
Department of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA.
Importance And Objective: Voice changes during menopause affect patients' communication and quality of life. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of voice changes during menopause. It presents objective and subjective/symptomatic changes as well as treatment options for this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2025
Department of Health Services Research, and CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Aging and Long Term Care Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Background: Older patients presenting with nonspecific complaints (NSC) in the Emergency Department (ED) pose diagnostic challenges. The lack of clear symptoms leads to high misdiagnosis rates, extended hospital stays, and functional impairment. However, limited research exists on diagnostic test utilization for this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Robot Surg
September 2025
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, 7836, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA.
To evaluate intraoperative ventilatory mechanics during robotic-assisted hysterectomy in obese women with endometrial cancer and introduce the concept of a physiologic "ceiling effect" in respiratory strain. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 89 women with biopsy-confirmed endometrial cancer who underwent robotic-assisted total hysterectomy between 2011 and 2015. Intraoperative ventilatory parameters, including plateau airway pressure and static lung compliance, were recorded at five-minute intervals.
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