Laryngology

Vol. 45: Issue 6 - December 2025

Italian multicentre study to validate the Swallowing Outcome After Laryngectomy (SOAL) questionnaire

Authors

Pietro De Luca , Arianna Di Stadio , Gerardo Petruzzi , Matteo Fermi , Luca Gazzini , Alberto Vito Marcuzzo , Nicoletta Gardenal , Teodoro Aragona , Francesca Atturo , Luca de Campora , Alfonso Scarpa , Emilio Avallone , Arianna Caselli , Francesco Antonio Salzano , Giancarlo Tirelli , Gabriele Molteni , Lazzaro Cassano , Luca Calabrese , Raul Pellini , Livio Presutti , Marco Radici , Angelo Camaioni

Key words: laryngectomy, laryngeal cancer, swallowing, functional outcome
DOI: 10.14639/0392-100X-A1077
Publication Date: 2025-11-28

Abstract

Objective. To report the data obtained by translating the Swallowing Outcomes After Laryngectomy (SOAL) questionnaire in Italian to validate it and offer a valid tool for Italian-speaking patients and clinicians.
Methods. A multicentre case-control study was performed between January 1st 2024 and October 1st 2024. In all, 494 patients consecutively treated for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were included in the study (group 1). Healthy controls and patients who underwent radiotherapy (group 2) or chemotherapy (group 3) of the head and neck district were the two control groups.
Results. Statistically significant differences were observed comparing SOAL scores among the three groups (ANOVA: p < 0.0001); significant differences were observed between group 1 (mean 0.89 +/- 1.31; 95% CI: 0-3) and group 2 (mean 6.78 +/- 4.59; 95% CI: 1-24) (Bonferroni-Holmes [BH] p < 0.01), and group 1 and group 3 (mean 11 +/- 7.47; 95% CI: 0-38) (BH: p 0 < 0.01). Statistically significant differences in the SOAL scores were also identified between group 2 and 3 (BH: p < 0.01).
Conclusions. The SOAL questionnaire may be a useful tool to correctly understand patients’ concerns for swallowing to promptly and rapidly manage them and improve patient’s quality of life.

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Authors

Pietro De Luca - Otolaryngology Department, Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola Hospital, Rome, Italy. PDL and ADS contribued equally to the work. Corresponding author - dr.dlp@hotmail.it

Arianna Di Stadio - ENT Unit-Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy. PDL and ADS contribued equally to the work.

Gerardo Petruzzi - Department Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri (IFO), Rome, Italy

Matteo Fermi - Otolaryngology Department, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Luca Gazzini - Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital of Bolzano (SABESASDAA), Bolzano-Bozen, Italy

Alberto Vito Marcuzzo - Head and Neck Department, ENT Clinic, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

Nicoletta Gardenal

Teodoro Aragona - Otolaryngology Department, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy

Francesca Atturo - Otolaryngology Department, San Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital, Rome, Italy

Luca de Campora - Otolaryngology Department, San Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital, Rome, Italy

Alfonso Scarpa - Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy

Emilio Avallone - Otolaryngology Department, San Pio Hospital, Benevento, Italy

Arianna Caselli - Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital of Bolzano (SABESASDAA), Bolzano-Bozen, Italy

Francesco Antonio Salzano - Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy

Giancarlo Tirelli - Head and Neck Department, ENT Clinic, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

Gabriele Molteni - Otolaryngology Department, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Lazzaro Cassano - Otolaryngology Department, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy

Luca Calabrese - Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital of Bolzano (SABESASDAA), Bolzano-Bozen, Italy

Raul Pellini - Department Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri (IFO), Rome, Italy

Livio Presutti - Otolaryngology Department, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Marco Radici - Otolaryngology Department, Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola Hospital, Rome, Italy

Angelo Camaioni - Otolaryngology Department, San Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital, Rome, Italy

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2025 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringoiatria e chirurgia cervico facciale

How to Cite
De Luca, P., Di Stadio, A. ., Petruzzi, G., Fermi, M., Gazzini, L., Marcuzzo, A. V., Gardenal, N., Aragona, T., Atturo, F., de Campora, L., Scarpa, A., Avallone, E., Caselli, A., Salzano, F. A., Tirelli, G. ., Molteni, G., Cassano, L., Calabrese, L., Pellini, R., Presutti, L., Radici, M. ., & Camaioni, A. (2025). Italian multicentre study to validate the Swallowing Outcome After Laryngectomy (SOAL) questionnaire. ACTA Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, 45(6), 406–412. https://doi.org/10.14639/0392-100X-A1077
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