Side Effect: Voice Changes (dysphonia)

What are Voice Changes?

Voice changes, also known as dysphonia, refer to alterations in:

Any of these changes in voice can affect a person's ability to speak or sing.

What do Voice Changes sound like?

Voice changes can manifest in various ways depending upon the underlying cause.

Some common symptoms include:

In some cases, patients may also experience pain or discomfort when speaking, or difficulty swallowing or coughing.

Who gets Voice Changes (dysphonia)?

Voice changes can occur from either a tumor invading into areas that are required to produce speech, or from cancer treatment.

Patients with cancers that involve the thyroid, lung, esophagus, oral cavity, or head and neck may be at an increased risk.

How to prevent Voice Changes (dysphonia)

How to treat Voice Changes (dysphonia)

Treating voice changes typically involves a combination of medical and behavioral interventions, depending on the underlying cause and severity of the symptoms.

Some common treatments include:

References

1. Lazarus CL. Effects of chemoradiotherapy on voice and swallowing. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009 Jun;17(3):172-8.

2. Zhang MJ, Mu JW, Chen XR, et al. Effect of voice rehabilitation training on the patients with laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jun;97(26):e11268.

Created: May 5, 2024 Updated: May 5, 2024