BACKGROUND. Smell disorders may be classified in quantitative and qualitative. The literature shows that the main causes of odour disorders, both qualitative and quantitative, are due to aging, viral infections and tumors of the upper respiratory tract, craniocerebral trauma, neurodegenerative diseases of the nervous system, drug use or exposure to various toxic substances. Total laryngectomy and oncologic treatment causes smell disorders.
OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study is to evaluate the aspects related to the patient’s smell disorders after total laryngectomy, during the oncological treatment represented by radiotherapy.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. A prospective observational study was performed on a group of 52 patients, over a period of one year (2016-2017), who benefited from total laryngectomy and who underwent oncological treatment, represented by radiotherapy. Patients were evaluated before starting radiotherapy and during radiotherapy sessions. All patients underwent quantitative and qualitative smell assessment.
RESULTS. At the end of week 7 of radiotherapy, none of the patients was considered normosmic, 10 patients were considered to be suffering from hyposmia and 42 from anosmia. Statistically significant changes in the quantitative determination of odour occurred in the fourth week, respectively at the radiation dose of 40Gy. Qualitative odour assessment in this study showed a statistically significant decrease starting with the fifth week of radiotherapy, respectively with a radiation dose of 50Gy.
CONCLUSION. Radiation therapy has a major impact on the quality of life of patients with laryngeal cancer, which has the lowest scores at the beginning and end of the treatment.
