Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio Could Identify Early Laryngeal Cancer
TUESDAY, Aug. 12, 2025 -- Acoustic features, specifically harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR) and its variability, could be promising for early detection of vocal fold lesions, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in Frontiers in Digital Health.
Phillip Jenkins, M.D., from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and colleagues analyzed data from the initial release of the Bridge2AI-Voice dataset to assess which acoustic features can distinguish laryngeal cancer and benign vocal fold lesions from other vocal pathologies and healthy voice function. Two analyses included seven diagnostic cohorts: The first analysis included participants with laryngeal cancer, benign lesions, or no voice disorder, and the second analysis included participants with laryngeal cancer or benign lesions without other voice disorders, as well as individuals with spasmodic dysphonia or vocal fold paralysis. Fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and HNR were extracted from standardized speech recordings; nonparametric statistical methods were used for comparisons.
The researchers identified significant differences in HNR and fundamental frequency between benign lesions and both healthy controls and laryngeal cancer in the overall sample. These differences were also observed among cisgender men, particularly in HNR and its variability. Among cisgender women, there were no statistically significant differences observed, likely as a result of limited sample size.
"Our results suggest that ethically sourced, large, multi‑institutional datasets like Bridge2AI‑Voice could soon help make our voice a practical biomarker for cancer risk in clinical care," Jenkins said in a statement.
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