Regaining Voice for Tongue Cancer Patients

SGGP 08/04/2023 08:30

After 3 weeks of surgery to remove the entire tongue and reconstruct it using thigh skin, Nguyen Thanh Thuan (26 years old, from Tay Ninh province) was able to talk. Thuan now has a confident smile on his face after nearly 1 year of being diagnosed with tongue cancer.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi examines a patient after surgery. Photo: NGO BINH

Surgery success rate is 98%

Mr. Thuan is one of hundreds of tongue cancer patients who have undergone surgery and reconstruction using the method of "Near-total and total tongue defect reconstruction after cancer surgery" by the group of authors: Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi, Specialist II Nguyen Quoc Can and Specialist I Le Hung Khuong (of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital). The above method has just been nominated for first prize in the 3rd Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award 2023.

“I am no longer in pain like before, I hope to get well soon to go to work…”, tears interrupted the young man’s confession. Mr. Thuan said that he cried not because he was sad but because he was happy to see himself getting better, to be able to talk to people and to look forward to going back to work soon. While visiting the patient, Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi encouraged the patient to focus on treatment to return to work soon.

The Department of Head and Neck Surgery - Maxillofacial Surgery these days has dozens of cases that have just been treated with tongue reconstruction surgery. Patient N.D.T. has just been out of the operating room for 4 days. Patient N.D.T.'s family said that nearly 1 year since discovering the first symptoms, Mr. T. went to many places for examination. When he was recommended to have surgery to remove the entire tongue to remove the tumor, Mr. T. hesitated for a long time. After that, an acquaintance guided him to the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital to try the method of reconstructing the defect. Choosing to trust the above method, he felt secure in the treatment. Just a few days after the surgery, Mr. T.'s health changed positively.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi examines a patient after surgery. Photo: NGO BINH

Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi said that around 2011, he researched and applied the method of regenerating defects after tongue surgery to treat cancer patients. However, at that time, this doctor only performed it on small defects. After that, he and his team researched and tested the above method on patients who had to remove most or all of their tongue, using thigh, abdominal or arm skin for regeneration. After much effort by Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi and his colleagues, combined with post-surgical treatment regimens, in 2017, the above method was applied in practice, with a success rate of up to 98%. In 2021, the above method will be widely applied and accessible to all patients.

International quality, cost less than 1%

Sharing the reason for spending a lot of time researching and applying the method of "Near-total and total tongue defect reconstruction after cancer surgery", Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi said that before there was a defect reconstruction method, in surgery, doctors could only remove and treat part of the tumor. This method is not new but the cost is very expensive (in Singapore, the cost is about 100,000 USD/case), very few patients can access it.

Concerned with the problems patients face, Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi and his colleagues have made efforts to research methods around the world to be able to perform tongue reconstruction for patients in cases where the entire tongue must be removed. "The short-term goal of this method is to help patients stop feeling pain, the long-term goal is to help patients in the late stages prolong their lives and communicate," said Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi.

Each surgery to reconstruct the defect lasts about 9-10 hours. The most difficult part of the above method is the microsurgery because it requires very close monitoring. Usually after surgery, every 2-3 hours, the doctor has to check once to monitor the blood vessel connection. Fortunately, the efforts of the doctors have been recognized and brought practical results to the patients. "During the recent Tet holiday, I received a phone call wishing a happy new year from a male patient who is an English teacher, who was treated with this method in the early stages when we applied it in practice. The happiest thing is that despite having his entire tongue reconstructed after surgery to remove the tumor, he still speaks normally, is in good health, and even continues to teach," said Dr. Nguyen Anh Khoi.

According to this doctor, tongue cancer patients at the stage where the tumor must be surgically removed often have a poor prognosis, with very few cases surviving for about 2 years. With the above method, combined with post-operative treatment regimen, more than 40% of patients can survive for more than 2 years.

To date, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital has applied the method of reconstructing near-total and total tongue defects after cancer surgery for more than 300 cases. The cost of each surgery is only about 17-18 million VND, and is also supported by health insurance, so patients can feel more secure.

During the preliminary evaluation process, the members of the field council and experts evaluated that the method of "Near-total and total tongue defect reconstruction after cancer surgery" had a success rate equivalent to that of major medical centers in the US, while the implementation time was about 1-3 hours shorter.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lay-lai-giong-noi-cho-benh-nhan-ung-thu-luoi-post700216.html