The Surgical Management and Speech and Swallowing Rehabilitation of Patients with Advanced Tongue Cancer in South Africa

Advanced tongue cancer may have a devastating effect on a person's ability to speak and to swallow. Very little is known about the surgical management and speech and swallowing rehabilitation of persons with advanced tongue cancer in South Africa. The aim of this study was to obtain information regarding clinical practices in treatment and rehabilitation. Questionnaires were distributed to 450 surgeons and 150 speech-language pathologists in South Africa. The response rate was 16 for the surgeons and 33 for the speech-language pathologists. Results showed that only a small number of surgeons and speech-language pathologists in South Africa are involved in the treatment of persons with advanced tongue cancer. Surgeons prefer combined modality treatment (surgery and post-operative radiotherapy) in the primary treatment of patients with advanced tongue cancer; but the use of radiochemotherapy is growing. Total glossectomy is a very radical procedure; but it is sometimes used by surgeons to treat patients with advanced disease. Total glossectomy with laryngeal preservation is preferred to total glossolaryngectomy by surgeons; in order to preserve laryngeal voice. Patients with total glossectomy form only a small part of the caseload of speech-language pathologists. Swallowing rehabilitation includes aspects such as dietary changes; compensatory swallowing techniques and airway protection mechanisms. Speech intelligibility is targeted in speech rehabilitation; but alternative communication is sometimes recommended for patients who have undergone total glosso-laryngectomy

Tumeurs de la langue au service de stomatologie de l'hopital de Kati : a propos de 25 cas

Il a ete entrepris a l'hopital de Kati dans le Service de Stomatologie et de Chirurgie maxillo-faciale entre janvier 1981 et mars 1993 une etude retrospective sur les tumeurs de la langue. L'etude fut effectuee sur 25 patients dont 14 hommes (56;0 pour cent) et 11 femmes (44;0 pour cent). La moyenne d'age etait de 47;36 ans avec des extremes de 20 et de 80 ans. La langue mobile etait la plus touchee avec 12/25 cas soit 48;0 pour cent contre 4 pour cent pour la base. La predominance etait masculine avec 14/25 cas (56;0 pour cent). Les tumeurs etaient dominees dans leur ensemble par des carcinomes 19/25 cas (76;0 pour cent) dont 9/19 cas d'epidermoides spinocellulaires soit 47;30 pour cent. En matiere d'occupation les cultivateurs venaient en tete avec 44;0 pour cent; les patients venant du district de Bamako etaient les plus nombreux dans les consultations (36;0 pour cent) devant ceux de la premiere region (28;0 pour cent). L'ethnie la plus frequente fut celle des Bamanans 40 pour cent et des Sarakoles 24;0 pour cent