Background and objectives: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is clinically defined by signs of daytime sleepiness and objective measures of disordered breathing during sleep. The literature is still controversial on the incidence and aetiology of OSA secondary to head and neck cancer treatment. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate and discuss the prevalence of OSA in patients treated with surgery and/or chemo/radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Materials and methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was performed on May 2020 using the MEDLINE database, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The searches were conducted using combinations of the following terms: head and neck cancer, OSA, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, partial laryngectomy, laryngeal cancer, neoplasm, tumour, carcinoma, and oropharyngeal cancer. Results: Our results suggest that head and neck cancer patients have a higher incidence of OSA (59.78%) compared to the general population; differences may occur based on the type of treatment. Conclusions: Clinicians should recognise the higher prevalence of OSA in patients treated for head and neck cancer and should consider a comprehensive sleep history as part of the evaluation and management of these patients. Further research is needed to evaluate the exact prevalence, aetiology, and correct management of OSA after treatment for head and neck cancer.

Background and Objectives: Laryngeal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the upper aerodigestive tract, and tobacco and alcohol habits are the most relevant risk factors. The role of these risk factors in the incidence of laryngeal carcinomas is well known, yet only a few studies have been conducted on their role as risk factors of prognosis. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of clinical–demographic data on overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with advanced-stage laryngeal cancer (Stage III–IV) who underwent total laryngectomy. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on patients with Stage III–IV laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with total laryngectomy between 2004 and 2014. For each patient, clinical and anamnestic data were collected and collated in a database, including alcohol and smoking habits. Results: Considering the variable age, family history, alcohol, grading, subsite, stage, pT stage, pN stage, and adjuvant therapy, no statistical significance was found for five-year OS. Smoking was the only variable that was statistically significant (p = 0.0043). A relevant difference was noted in the five-year DFS between pN-negative and pN-positive tumors (74.3% vs. 55.26%, respectively; p = 0.056), and a statistically significant difference was found between non- and ≤20 cigarettes/day smokers and heavy smokers (77.78% vs. 53.66%, respectively; p = 0.021). The five-year disease-specific survival rate was 68.83%, and a significant difference was detected for the smoking and pN stage variables. Heavy smokers (43.90% died vs. 16.67% of the non- and ≤20 cigarettes/day smokers; p = 0.0057) and pN-positive (42.1% died vs. 20.51% of the pN-negative patients; p = 0.042) patients had a worse prognosis. Conclusion: Smoking in our study was found to be an important independent risk factor for worse OS and DSS in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) stands as the leading neurodegenerative disorder affecting the motor system. One of the hallmarks of ALS, especially its bulbar form, is dysarthria, which significantly impairs the quality of life of ALS patients. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the clinical manifestations, diagnostic differentiation, underlying mechanisms, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of dysarthria in ALS. We update on the most promising digital speech biomarkers of ALS that are critical for early and differential diagnosis. Advances in artificial intelligence and digital speech processing have transformed the analysis of speech patterns, and offer the opportunity to start therapy early to improve vocal function, as speech rate appears to decline significantly before the diagnosis of ALS is confirmed. In addition, we discuss the impact of interventions that can improve vocal function and quality of life for patients, such as compensatory speech techniques, surgical options, improving lung function and respiratory muscle strength, and percutaneous dilated tracheostomy, possibly with adjunctive therapies to treat respiratory insufficiency, and finally assistive devices for alternative communication.

Background: Open partial horizontal laryngectomies (OPHL) are one of the surgical techniques used for the conservative management of laryngeal cancers. The aims of this study are to analyze the oncological and functional results of a group of patients affected by laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) treated with OPHL, performed using a minimally invasive technique. Methods: This is a prospective case–control study. We enrolled 17 consecutive patients with LSCC treated with OPHL through a lateral cervical approach (LCA). Patients were evaluated using their Penetration Aspiration Scale score (liquid, semiliquid and solid) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) at three different endpoints: 15 days (T1), 3 months (T2), and 6 months (T2) after surgery. Results: The functional outcomes of the LCA are stackable with that of the classical anterior cervical approach in terms of respiration, swallowing, and speech. One-way ANOVA was performed to evaluate the variances of PAS and VHI scores at the three different observation points. No statistically significant differences were observed between OPHL- PAS scores for liquid (p = 0.1) at the three different observation points. A statistically significant improvement was observed in the OPHL- PAS score for semisolids and solids (p < 0.00001) between T1 and T3 (p = 0.0001) and for solids between T2 and T3 (p < 0.00001). The improvement of VHI-10 was statistically significative (p < 0.00001) at the three different observation points (T1–T2 and T2–T3). Conclusion: The LCA is a potential approach for laryngeal surgery in selected cases. The preoperative staging and planning are of the utmost importance to ensure oncological radicality. The main advantage of this approach is the preservation of the healthy tissues surrounding the larynx and the functional and oncological outcomes are stackable with the classic anterior cervical approach.

Introduction: The number of migrants living in Europe is growing rapidly. The PROTECT project is a national study conducted among refugees and migrants in the Lazio region, Italy from February 2018 to September 2021 to evaluate their otolaryngological, dental, and ophthalmic health status. This article reports the results of this study with a special focus on otolaryngological conditions and diseases. Materials and methods: A total of 3023 participants were included in the project. Data on the participants’ demographic factors, migration status, and otolaryngological history were collected using a questionnaire. Each patient underwent clinical ear, nose, and throat examination, and the main otolaryngological conditions and diseases were noted. Results: nearly two-thirds of participants were males (68.1%). The mean age was 31.6 ± 13.1. Most of the participants were born in Nigeria, followed by Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia, Mali, and Gambia. The prevalence of chronic noise exposure was 5.2%. Unilateral hearing loss was reported by 6.5% of the subjects, and bilateral hearing loss by 3.6%. The most frequent symptoms reported in the questionnaire were snoring (10.4%), nasal obstruction (5.9%), vertigo (5.0%), otalgia (4.5%), and tinnitus (4.2%). At the clinical examination, the most frequent findings were nasal septum deviation (25.2%), ear wax (6.5%), hypertrophic palatine tonsils (5.3%), and tympanic membrane perforation (1.3%). Conclusions: the PROTECT project allowed for the evaluation of otolaryngological, dental, and ophthalmological conditions in over 3000 migrants, giving them the possibility to access specialist care.