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Surviving cancer following total laryngectomy: a phenomenological study

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Abstract

Purpose

Total laryngectomy followed by radiotherapy is a life-preserving treatment for patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. This study explored how persons who had undergone total laryngectomy perceived themselves as cancer survivors in the follow-up phase.

Methods

A descriptive phenomenological approach was adopted. We employed a purposive sampling strategy to collect data through interviews at the otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinics of two research hospitals in northern Italy. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed, following the seven analytical steps of Colaizzi’s descriptive analysis.

Results

The final sample included 19 patients. The following main themes were identified: (i) accepting a life with the “without” to survive; (ii) feeling unpleasant emotions; (iii) getting the hang of communication again; and (iv) reclaiming one’s role. Together, they highlight the lived experiences of laryngectomised patients during the follow-up phase and how they perceived themselves as cancer survivors.

Conclusion

Laryngectomised patients are a uniquely vulnerable population. This study provides insights into how surgical procedures change and affect their lives over time to improve care models, patient education, and support systems. Survivors must be adequately prepared to transition from treatment and return to the community. This preparation should begin before treatment is started. Functional education, accurate information, and psychological support must be arranged and provided before surgery. Regarding the post-treatment phase, it is essential to support voice rehabilitation and peer support, and improve the family network, to ensure these patients’ reintegration into society and social recognition.

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Data availability

The datasets (in Italian) generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants for their time and generosity in sharing their stories and experience. We also thank Filippo Marchi for his suggestions on the article’s draft.

Funding

This study was partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health – Ricerca Corrente Annual Program 2024.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Qualitative Research Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Viale Umberto I, 50, 42123, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Luca Ghirotto

  2. Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Gianluca Catania, Annamaria Bagnasco & Loredana Sasso

  3. Azienda Sanitaria Locale di Alessandria, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Italy

    Helena Camera

  4. Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy

    Concetta D’Adamo

  5. Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Danilo Ignone & Cristina Pedroni

  6. Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale, Udine, Italy

    Antonio Rizzuto & Valentina Bressan

  7. Health Professions Direction, Padova University Hospital, Padua, Italy

    Simone Stevanin

  8. Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Elisabetta Losi

  9. Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Giorgio Peretti

  10. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy

    Giorgio Peretti

Authors
  1. Luca Ghirotto
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  2. Gianluca Catania
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  3. Helena Camera
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  5. Danilo Ignone
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  8. Elisabetta Losi
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  9. Cristina Pedroni
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  11. Annamaria Bagnasco
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Contributions

L. G., G. C., G. P., A. B., and L. S. contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by G. C., H. C., C. D. A., D. I., E. L., and C. P. The first draft of the manuscript was written by L. G., G. C., S. S., G. P., and V. B. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luca Ghirotto.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Provincial Ethics Committee of Reggio Emilia (in-house protocol no. 2017/0089494) and the Ligurian Regional Ethics Committee (P. R. 020REG2017).

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publishing their anonymised personal data.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ghirotto, L., Catania, G., Camera, H. et al. Surviving cancer following total laryngectomy: a phenomenological study. Support Care Cancer 31, 457 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07931-z

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