More of this story Apr 10, 2008
After some unsuccessful radiation and chemotherapy, he underwent a laryngectomy, a procedure to remove the larynx so that the trachea is rerouted to the front of the neck, that December. The laryngectomy took Dreisbach's voice and left him breathing out of a large stoma in his throat ... Dreisbach hopes some changes will take place for laryngectomy patients. (Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, NC)
Cancer takes voice, but Marietta woman moves on Feb 29, 2008
"Usually, I wait until they say something before I tell them about my laryngectomy. Usually they don't have a clue that I don't have vocal cords.". Looking at the Marietta resident's busy life these days, it's hard to imagine that cancer almost sidelined her 10 years ago. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
Tobacco highest cancer cause in Indian men Feb 5, 2008
Sharfudeen, a resident of Chennai, and a cancer survivor Laryngectomy patient explains why one needs to quit smoking at the earliest. "If you are in the habit of chewing, smoking or consuming tobacco in any form, please do quit now. At some point of time, it will affect your health adversely," says he. (CNN-IBN)
Larynx preservation preferred over total laryngectomy Feb 2, 2008
Patients with locally advanced laryngopharyngeal cancers who receive radical chemoradiation have significantly better voice outcomes during the 12 months following treatment when compared with patients who have undergone a total laryngectomy and surgical voice restoration, according to a study in the February 1 issue of the International Journal for Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. The conventional treatment... (EurekAlert!)
Race, Gender Affect Laryngeal Cancer Survival Dec 21, 2007
6 percent had a total laryngectomy (removal of the larynx), 30 ... "Controlling for the other included factors, the radiotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy groups had lower odds of survival than did the total laryngectomy group. The increased risk associated with death is approximately 30 percent for the chemo-radiotherapy group and 60 percent for the radiotherapy group," wrote study authors Dr. Amy Y. Chen, of Emory University and the American Cancer Society, and Dr. Michael Halpern, of the... (Forbes)
Smokebusters invite Young to give anti-smoking presentation. Dec 20, 2007
He went back and had a total laryngectomy but was given less than a year to live ... Due to the laryngectomy, he must use the mechanical device in order to speak. (Moberly Monitor-Index, MO)
What Factors Are Associated With Survival In Advanced Laryngeal Cancer? Dec 19, 2007
For many years, total removal of the larynx (laryngectomy) followed by radiation therapy was the standard treatment. "Unfortunately, patients treated with total laryngectomy experience a complete loss of voice and may also experience impairment of swallowing function, leading to decreased quality of life in many aspects, including nutrition, social functioning and personal hygiene." ... 6 percent underwent total laryngectomy, 30. (Science Daily)
Book review: Brother I'm Dying Sep 5, 2007
Nothing could persuade him to abandon his congregation: not a radical laryngectomy (for a cancerous tumor) that left him unable to speak, not his desire to spend more time with brother and family in New York, not the growing violence in the streets outside his church. Only the burning and looting of his church and death threats from local gangs who mistakenly believed he had allowed riot police to shoot people from the roof of his building finally drove Joseph from his home. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
• A Grim Voice Warns: Don't Smoke Aug 20, 2007
He also speaks in front of doctors who work with patients who have had their larynxes removed in laryngectomy operations, and to other laryngectomy patients. He is president of the Barbara Smith Laryngectomee Club of Hartford/New Britain, a support group that meets every other month. (FOX61, CT)
Voice lost to cancer turns man into outspoken advocate Jun 24, 2007
The physician gave Dreisbach three options: do nothing and die within 18 months, try to save his voice using radiation and chemotherapy or perform a laryngectomy and cut the cancer out. "I said, 'When do we start radiation?'". (Triangle Business Journal)
Sense of Smell Often Impaired After Larynx Removal Feb 8, 2007
Objective olfactory abilities after laryngectomy were significantly decreased compared with a comparison group of healthy individuals matched for age, sex, and smoking history, the investigators report in the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. The average self-rated score of smell ability in the total laryngectomy group was less than half that in the comparison group, whereas the self-rating of taste ability was only slightly lower ... The team thinks the problem is unlikely to be... (MEDLINEplus)
3-D Radiation Treatment Planning Reduces Feeding-tube Use Nov 8, 2006
Although current surgical techniques and multi-modality treatment regimens allow organ preservation for a growing number of patients with head and neck cancers, remaining dependent on a feeding tube after treatment is a major problem for these patients. An analysis by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers sought to identify which treatment-related factors are more likely to avoid feeding-tube dependency. (Science Daily)
THE LONG SLEEP Doc's Motor Court, unchanged for nearly 60 years, is a throwback to a simpler era. Folks check in for the nostalgia. Story by FRANK DELANO Photos by ROBERT A. MARTIN THE FREE LANCE-STAR E Aug 26, 2006
I thought it was exciting," she says. Last year, Jerry and Cathy brought his five children and eight grandchildren to Doc's. The family filled eight rooms. Jerry doesn't swim in the river anymore. He had a laryngectomy 15 years ago. "I'd drown in a minute if I went under," he says. He says he was embarrassed after his operation, and told Ellie how he felt. "Mrs. Caruthers told me if people didn't like it, tell them to go to hell," Jerry says. "Everybody I talk to here is real friendly," he says.... (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, VA)
