A revolutionary surgery, one that can make a pivotal mark on the healthcare outcomes for cancer patients was performed on Mr Marty Kedian. He was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a rare form of laryngeal cancer. The patient had to go for numerous surgeries for the past 10 years, and this has eventually forced him to undergo a tracheostomy that ultimately diminished his quality of life. This is where the Mayo Clinic’s Larynx and Trachea Program came into play. This transplant surgery was the first-of-its-kind to be performed on a patient suffering from an active form of cancer. Six surgeons were tasked with performing the surgery for a duration of 24 hours. Dr David Lott mentions, “Never in my wildest dreams would I expect him to be eating a hamburger, a little over three months after transplantation. It is just amazing to me.”
A larynx transplantation is extremely rare with this one being the third in the US. It is also one of the first to be attempted on a cancer patient as transplants for cancer patients are incredibly rare. Kedian’s case was even more rarer as he was on an immunosuppressive treatment from a previous kidney transplant. The surgical team was primarily focused on the removal of the cancer-affected larynx and once they were confident that the cancer was eradicated, they proceeded with the transplant.
Dr Lott’s work was published in the peer-reviewed journal of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The patient’s compliance and firm determination to never give up is what made the operation a crucial success. He could now speak, breathe, and swallow with his new larynx!
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