Doctors at Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospital here treated a patient, diagnosed with an advanced stage of a type of cancer in his vocal cords.
A release by the hospital said that the patient, who had the habit of chewing tobacco, consulted doctors after experiencing changes in his voice. Endoscopy revealed a malignant tumour in his vocal cords. The cancer was in Stage 4A, which meant that it had spread to the laryngeal framework.
A team of doctors headed by Major G. Vasanth Kumar, consultant, Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, at the hospital performed a total laryngectomy, which involved the total removal of the patient’s voice box.
The release said a key concern was the loss of speech because of the removal of voice box. This was mitigated by tracheoesophageal puncture, in which a tiny device is placed by making a small hole between the trachea and the oesophagus. The patient will undergo therapy to practice speaking with the help of the device, the release added.
