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State celebrates head, neck cancer awareness

by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
This year, more than 60,000 Americans will develop some form of head and neck cancer. It is a common, but preventable cancer, that will be responsible for about 15,000 deaths, hitting hardest among men over 40 years of age who smoke and drink. 

Like most diseases, cancer does not discriminate. It affected Oscar-winning actor, Yul Brynner, who was most noted for his performance in the Broadway musical, “The King and I.” 

Brynner got the curtain call of his life following a 1983 performance in Chicago. He complained of voice problems which was later revealed to be a pre-malignant lesion on his vocal cords. The five-pack-a-day smoker was stunned, unaware of the tolls caused by a lifelong addiction to smoking, which ultimately contributed to lung cancer and his death in 1985.

It is Brynner’s own courage and legacy that inspired head and neck cancer surgeon Terry Day, M.D., to promote cancer awareness and the dangers of tobacco and alcohol abuse that leads to cancers of the lips, mouth, tongue, throat and voice box. 

In South Carolina, Governor Jim Hodges has proclaimed April 17 - 22 as National Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. These statewide efforts are multi-institutional linking hospitals like MUSC, Roper, Trident Regional Medical Center with other medical facilities, teaching institutions and organizations. 

“It’s our fault as a medical community for not educating the public about the real dangers of tobacco and its relationship with many head and neck cancers,” said Day, who is assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. “Through the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation, we’re hoping to make a real difference.”

Since 1997, the foundation has grown from 10 chapters to more than 125 nationally and internationally. It is supported by the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer.

Each chapter focuses on three areas of need: fund raising, developing statewide public awareness and educational campaigns and organizing cancer survivor groups. 

In South Carolina, there are about 450 new cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed each year. These cancers mostly affect the oral cavity and commonly affects males twice as much as females. 

The results from head and neck cancers can be brutal for many patients. A patient may undergo multiple surgeries that can leave disfiguring scars or disable an individual. With the survival rate less than 60 percent following the first five years after diagnosis, patients can easily suffer from depression. They’re also prone to other medical problems relating to nutrition or hydration.

“South Carolina hasn’t seen much for head and neck cancer education and outreach,” said Peggy Anthony, a clinical coordinator in the Department of Dermatologic Surgery and Aesthetics and president of the SCYBF Chapter. “Our goals are to bring these cancers to the forefront and involve people.”

Day is a specialist used to working with multiple talents. He began YBF awareness while at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Last year, he was named head of the MUSC’s Department of Otolaryn-gology’s Division of Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, Day manages a multidisciplinary treatment team consisting of nurses, speech pathologists, surgeons, radiation medical oncologists, orthodontists and other specialists. 

“Going through any type of cancer is tough,” Anthony said. “It can be a lot tougher going through it alone. Through YBF efforts, we’re hoping our patients won’t need to go through it alone, anymore.”

To promote patient education, the South Carolina YBF chapter will sponsor a head and neck cancer screening on Friday, April 21 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Rutledge Tower’s ENT Clinic and at Charleston ENT Associates. 

Specialists will be available to provide a 15-minute, non-invasive exam of the head and neck region of the body. The group will also host a survivor’s banquet honoring all Lowcountry area head and neck cancer patients on April 18.

To schedule an appointment for the April 21 head and neck cancer screening, call Health Connection, 792-1414. 
 For more information about the survivor banquet, contact Julie Blair, 792-3531. 

Visit the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation website at <http://www.yulbrynnerfoundation.com>

What happens during a head and neck cancer screening?
Head and neck cancer screening is a painless exam that takes about 15 minutes without any invasive procedures or medication. 

The exam involves a visual and bimanual inspection of the head/neck region, ears, nose, mouth, throat and neck. A brief history will be taken in the form of a questionnaire which takes less than 5 minutes. 

To schedule an appointment for the April 21 head and neck cancer screening, call MUSC Health Connections, 792-1414. 

Be aware of Oral Cavity and Laryngeal Cancer signs/symptoms:

  • non-healing ulcers in the mouth 
  • loosening of teeth 
  • trouble opening the mouth 
  • weight loss 
  • difficulty swallowing 
  • pain when swallowing 
  • ear pain 
  • a sensation of having a constant “lump in the throat” 
  • chronic cough 
  • bloody cough 
  • persistent sore throat 
  • hoarseness 
  • neck mass

Head, neck cancer survivors share life’s victories

by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
Gary Miner and Ray and Wilda Provost never knew how much they had in common, until they met each other in January. They cannot breathe through the nose or talk. They are laryngectomy patients who must rely on an artificial larynx or prosthesis to communicate.

“I had no idea about the challenges I would face,” said Miner in a deep, raspy voice through his Indwelling voice prosthesis. The spool-shaped device is inserted in a small hole where his larynx or voice box used to be. “I knew that this was the time I was going to face my maker. I wanted to prove that I could make lemonade out of life’s lemons.”

A retired master sergeant with the U.S. Marines, Miner was a 35-year, four-pack-a-day smoker living in Jacksonville, N.C. For months, Miner never knew that his ear pain and severe hoarseness were symptoms associated with throat cancer. He received a total laryngectomy last July.

For Miner, the news changed his way of  life. It was not a death sentence.

Today, Miner and the Provosts are dedicated to meeting the needs of new patients and survivors, plus educating the public within their hometowns and areas across North and South Carolina. They have volunteered to be survivor group coordinators working with head and neck cancer surgeon Terry Day, M.D., president of the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation. 

As survivors, their major concern is providing pre-and-post operative patient education. 

“I didn’t know anything when I was first diagnosed,” said Wilda Provost, who had a laryngectomy in her hometown of Spartanburg in 1989. “No one really talked to me about follow-up or maintaining my prosthesis.”

Provost uses a tracheo-esophogeal voice prosthesis, which she can remove, clean and replace. She, like other voice prosthetic users, must adequately clean and maintain their prosthesis daily.

The trio confers with MUSC speech pathologist Julie Blair, who educates throat cancer patients before and after surgery. Blair helps patients adjust to breathing changes and educates them about their choices for talking using esophageal speech, a voice prosthesis or electrolarnyx.

“The Provosts are exceptional survivors,” said Blair, who is treasurer of the  SC YBF Chapter. “They’ve risen above the challenges and have made a positive transition. Other patients aren’t able to cope both mentally and physically. In a way, they’re still mourning the loss of their voice.”

The couple, as well as Miner, are comfortable speaking to middle and high school students and others about the dangers of smoking. 

“If I can prevent one child from fulfilling the desire to smoke through peer pressure, then I would have accomplished my goal,” Miner said. “The key is educating people about the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco products.”