A 'Groundbreaking Achievement'
- Marty Kedian was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, which is the cancer of the larynx (voice box), nearly 10 years ago, and lost his voice multiple surgeries later, around 10 months ago.
- Now, thanks to a “groundbreaking achievement” by Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Kedian has regained his voice after a total larynx transplant, the third successful procedure of this kind in the United States. Even more astounding, the Massachusetts native is the first person with active cancer to undergo this surgery.
- Surpassing his doctors’ prognosis with 60 percent of his voice back so far, Kedian is overjoyed to have his quality of life back, and is continuing to heal from the surgery performed by six surgeons four months ago.
And according to AP News, Kedian became emotional recalling the first time he called his 82-year-old mother after the surgery. “And she could hear me. That was important to me, to talk to my mother.”
Read MoreKedian even regained his Boston accent after the procedure performed by six surgeons at Mayo Clinic in Arizona four months ago.
“Mayo Clinic announces a groundbreaking achievement in organ transplantation, offering hope to thousands who have lost their ability to speak, swallow and breathe on their own due to diminished function or loss of their larynx,” the esteemed research institute wrote in an Instagram post alongside photos of Kedian throughout the process.
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“A multidisciplinary team of doctors in Arizona performed the third known total larynx transplant in the U.S. The case also marks a medical milestone as the first known total larynx transplant performed as part of a clinical trial and the first on a patient with active cancer in the U.S.”
The full details of the surgery, formally called a total laryngeal transplant for malignancy, were published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal on Tuesday.
Surpassing his doctors’ prognosis with 60 percent of his voice back so far, Kedian is overjoyed to have his quality of life back, and is continuing to heal.
“I was alive, but I wasn’t living,” Kedian said. “I love to talk to people everywhere I go and I just couldn’t. I felt strange and I wouldn’t go out anywhere.”
Understanding Head and Neck Cancer
Cancer of the larynx, which is also considered throat cancer, falls under the umbrella of the general classification term head and neck cancer.
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), head and neck cancer is “a broad term encompassing a number of different malignant tumors that develop in or around the throat, larynx, nose, sinuses and mouth. Oral cancer is the most common type of head and neck cancer.
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The two main risk factors for this group of diseases include the following:
- Tobacco use. This is the single largest risk factor for head and neck cancer with researchers estimating that 70 to 80 percent of head and neck cancers being linked to tobacco use. Also worthy of note is that secondhand smoke may increase a person’s risk of developing head and neck cancer.
- Alcohol use. Using alcohol and tobacco together increases your risk even more.
“Head and neck cancer patients, we know that tobacco smoking is a risk but also heavy alcohol use,” Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer at Cleveland Clinic, previously told SurvivorNet.
“So, drinking more than two or three drinks if you’re a man per day, in addition to smoking. Smoking and alcohol are sort of additive carcinogens. Especially in cancer of the larynx or the voice box, we know that drinking heavily, heavy alcohol use, is just as important of a risk factor as tobacco smoking is.”
Learning More About Larynx Transplants
What makes Kedian’s case even more special is that cancer patients are not typically considered for a total larynx transplant because of the immunosuppression after the surgery, which can cause the cancer to spread.
Since Kedian had had a kidney transplant in the past, he was already taking immunosuppressants, which is why he was accepted to participate in the clinical trial.
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Kedian’s lead doctor, Dr. David Lott, Mayo Clinic’s chair of head and neck surgery in Phoenix said that operating on a cancer patient was an “important step in advancing laryngeal transplant science because we can watch it in his natural environment without putting him at additional risk.”
Symptoms to Look Out For
Unlike breast cancer, cervical cancer and prostate cancer, there is no annual screening for throat cancer, so doctors often discover the disease when a patient is presenting lingering symptoms that may point to it.
Some symptoms may include:
- A cough
- Changes in your voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- A lump or sore that doesn’t heal
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
It’s important to note that these symptoms are not exclusive to throat cancer. Still, you should always see a doctor if you have any changes to your health, especially if these signs are staying put for more than a couple of weeks. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to track your symptoms, which helps your doctor decipher what may be going on.
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