Patient-reported outcomes and speech intelligibility test results in cancer survivors: Preliminary findings

Communication is essential to quality of life, linked to social interactions, employment, and independence. Verbal communication is judged using speech intelligibility, or how well a speaker is understood. When communication is negatively impacted it affects every aspect of an individual's life resulting in smaller social networks, fewer positive interactions, and higher levels of loneliness. This study investigated communication and speech intelligibility in individuals who had previously been treated for cancer. Using a survey to obtain demographic, medical, and patient-reported outcomes, cancer survivors reported the perceived effect of their cancer diagnosis had on their overall communication and the speech-language pathology services they received. Fourteen participants provided speech samples, including the Speech Intelligibility Test phrases and sentences portions. Survey data was analyzed for frequencies and descriptions while unfamiliar listeners provided speech intelligibility ratings. Results demonstrated that participants with cancer in the head and neck region displayed diminished speech intelligibility. Less than half of the participants reported receiving services to support communication and speech. These preliminary data support the need for further research in communication and cancer survivorship. These data align with previous research that suggests cancer survivors, and more specifically head and neck cancer, require speech-language pathology services acutely and throughout survivorship.