Life After Throat Cancer Diagnosis
- Throat cancer survivor Val Kilmer’s “Iceman” role from Top Gun is as beloved to fans as Tom Cruise’s “Maverick,” and with reports swirling of a Top Gun 3, we can’t help but wonder if there will be a way to bring back Kilmer, despite his character’s death in the second installment, Top Gun: Maverick.
- After his 2015 diagnosis, Val Kilmer underwent a tracheostomy, a surgical procedure that connects the windpipe to a hole in the front of the neck, which greatly impacted his speaking voice. Luckily, Maverick filmmakers were able to bring his voice back to life thanks to artificial intelligence technology.
- When dealing with a health condition as serious as cancer and its side effects, resorting to therapy such as music, dancing, painting, and other forms of art can be extremely helpful. Along with furthering his acting career, Kilmer has also consistently made art after his diagnosis.
- The overwhelming majority of throat cancers develop after infection with a cancer-causing strain of HPV, human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted infection in America.
Puck news outlet reported potential news of another sequel in motion, and industry outlets like Variety picked up the story, stating that Paramount has reportedly enlisted Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger to work on the script. Paramount is also hoping to bring back Maverick director Joe Kosinski, and potentially a continued storyline for Miles Teller and Glen Powell, the younger generation of pilots. “I’ve been having some conversations with him [Tom Cruise] about it. We’ll see,” Teller told Deadline back in 2022. Paramount has yet to confirm the news.
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Another emotional aspect for Kilmer’s fans is his near-decade-long battle with throat cancer, and hearing how the disease has affected his voice.
Val Kilmer’s Throat Cancer Journey
After his 2015 diagnosis, Val Kilmer underwent a tracheostomy, a surgical procedure that connects the windpipe to a hole in the front of the neck, which greatly impacted his speaking voice.
Though The Doors star discovered his throat cancer in 2015, he chose not to speak publicly about his disease until 2017.
RELATED: Val Kilmer Refuses to Let Throat Cancer Keep Him Down; In New Interview: ‘I’ll Work Until I’m 150’
The actor wasn’t considering conventional treatment at first, thinking his Christian Science faith would heal the tumors. But he ultimately agreed to undergo chemotherapy for the sake of his children, Mercedes, 31, and Jack, 28, whom he shares with his ex-wife, English actress Joanne Whalley, 62.
In Maverick, filmmakers were able to help give Iceman a voice again thanks to artificial intelligence technology that used samples of him speaking to recreate his signature speech patterns.
RELATED: Throat Cancer Survivor Val Kilmer Celebrates The Continued Success Of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
And though he originally kept his cancer battle out of the public eye, Kilmer eventually shared more about his journey through interviews, his 2020 autobiography I’m Your Huckleberry, and his 2021 documentary, Val.
“I have been healed of cancer for over four years now, and there has never been any recurrence,” he wrote in his book. “I am so grateful.” It is unclear what the status of Kilmer’s cancer is currently.
“[Throat] cancer can cause symptoms in the throat including sore throat, pain with swallowing, difficulty swallowing, the sensation of a lump or mass in the throat, ear pain, and less commonly voice changes, hoarseness or difficulty opening the jaw,” Dr. Ryan Hughes, a radiation oncologist at Wake Forest School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet.
“In the majority of patients, [throat cancer] does not cause symptoms in the throat but instead first presents with an otherwise asymptomatic mass in the neck,” Dr. Hughes added.
Artistic Expression Amid Cancer
When dealing with a health condition as serious as cancer and its side effects, resorting to therapy such as music, dancing, painting, and other forms of art can be extremely helpful. Along with furthering his acting career, Kilmer has also consistently made art after his diagnosis.
In an Instagram post last month, Kilmer posted a photo of himself with an array of colorful artwork around him: “Surround yourself with things that make you happy :),” he wrote.
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In 2020, researchers studied the outcomes of therapeutic artmaking in patients undergoing radiation oncology treatment. Although the research was limited in scope, it found patients reported “decreased depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and tiredness” after mindfulness-based art therapy intervention.
Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, told SurvivorNet that emotional health and good quality of life are associated with better survival and better outcomes. Art therapy can influence a cancer patient’s overall emotional health.
HPV’s Link to Throat Cancer
Over the last decade, throat cancer has made its way into national headlines as celebrities such as Kilmer, along with including Bruce Dickinson, Dave Mustaine, Michael Douglas and the late Eddie Van Halen have spoken out about their diagnoses over the years. But it’s not just because of these high-profile cases that you might have heard more about throat cancer in the last decade than ever before.
HPV and Cancer Risk: The Basics
These days, you’re far more likely to know someone who has the condition than you were several decades ago. That’s because of the strong connection between throat cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV) the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It has been determined that HPV may cause more than 90 percent of throat cancers.
Majority of Throat Cancer Diagnoses Are Caused by HPV – Here’s What You Need to Know
“From the 1980s to the 2010s, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers has gone up by 300 percent,” head and neck cancer specialist, Dr. Ted Teknos tells SurvivorNet.
What Else Can Cause Throat Cancer?
You’ve heard this about other cancers, and it’s true for throat cancer, too: doctors don’t know for sure what causes the changes in your cells that lead to throat cancer. But, they do know several factors that can increase your risk for the condition.
They include:
- Tobacco use, including cigarettes and chewing tobacco
- Heavy drinking
- Too few fruits and vegetables in your diet
- Acid reflux disease
But, the overwhelming majority of throat cancers develop after infection with a cancer-causing strain of HPV. In fact, while non-HPV throat cancers are declining, HPV-related cases are on the rise, and HPV is also linked to other cancers such as cervical, anal and penile cancers.
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