Download Laryngeal cancer, Lingual cancer , Pharyngeal cancer

Laryngeal cancer, Lingual cancer , Pharyngeal cancer
Laryngeal Cancer
[Tomiharu Uekawa, male, 67 years old, unemployed, Tokushima City, Tokushima, Japan]
When were you prognosed that you had a laryngeal cancer?
It was spring of this year when I visited ENT department because hoarse and husky voice
continued and my fever lingered such a long time. Things seemed to be wrong so that I was
referred to and admitted to a teaching hospital for close examination, and there I was informed
that it was a laryngeal cancer. It was May. Most probably cigarettes that I love so much had to be
blamed. Of course, after admission into the hospital, I quit smoking and keep this even now.
What kind of therapy did you receive?
I was diagnosed that my cancer had progressed to stage 2, so without surgery, radiation therapy
was chosen. Three weeks before the initiation of this X-ray therapy, fucoidan came to my
attention and so, immediately I began taking it, because of declaration of having cancer at that
time and due to this disease. I had lost my appetite and lost my body weight as well.
How much amount of fucoidan did you take?
3 drink types of fucoidan and 12 capsules of fucoidan a day, one drink and 3 capsules at a time
and I could take it smoothly, because there was no pains on my throat. I could firmly feel that the
drink type will act on my throat directly and capsules would work out inside my body.
How did you feel about the radiation?
It was a three times a week schedule for 7 continuous weeks. So I felt that I should take time and
go through this slowly and easily. I did take this supplement with not much trouble or pains.
After completing the radiation therapy at the end of June, subsequently chemotherapy was
continued.
How about your current situation?
There were no side effects that developed even with the chemotherapy. An increased appetite
made me gain back my body weight. Presently (September 2003) I am taking the last of the
chemotherapy cycles and will be able to be discharged after having completed all the courses of
the chemotherapy. It was wonderful that my vocal cords are intact and my cancer seems to have
been eliminated. One good thing comes after another.
Advice from Dr. Tachikawa
“Laryngeal cancer” is a type of cancer that progresses relatively slowly. If the cancer is found
early enough, it can be cured with radiotherapy or chemotherapy alone, without resorting to
surgery. Although normal healthy cells recover gradually from the damage suffered due to
radiation, cancer cells do not heal as well as normal healthy cells. Accordingly, in radiotherapy
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the patient generally undergoes several runs of radiation treatment over a period of time. If a
large dose of radiation is irradiated onto the cancer, the cancer cells will shrink quickly.
However, side effects will increase.
In the case of Patient Uekawa, chemotherapy with a cocktail of anticancer drugs is administered
following the radiotherapy. This is to completely eliminate the cancer cells, so there’s no cause
for concern regarding the course of treatment. There’s no side effect and the treatment is
producing result, probably thanks to “fucoidan”. After your doctor discharges you from the
hospital, you will need to visit the department of radiology and receive tests once every month or
so for around five years. It is to detect any “relapse” of cancer early and also to ensure that the
radiotherapy has not left any side effect. In some cases the patient who received radiotherapy
develops a delayed radiation injury, which is a side effect of radiotherapy.
Lingual Cancer Q & A
Q: I have an inquiry from a male of around 55 years of age. He was diagnosed with lingual
cancer and had an operation. After radiotherapy, the doctors found that the cancer had spread to
lymph nodes. He began taking 4 grams (0.14 oz) of liquid fucoidan per day a week ago. Two days
before, however, he woke up in the morning and found that his face and neck were swollen. He
has been having difficulty chewing food since then. The swelling gets better slightly in the
afternoon. It this caused by fucoidan? Can he continue taking fucoidan? Please advice.
A: I don’t think his condition is caused by fucoidan. I’m pretty sure it is due to the cancer cells
that metastasized to lymph nodes. They cause swelling of the face and neck while the body is flat.
That’s why the condition gets better after he has been up for a while. When your legs get swollen,
lying down for a while improves the situation. What this patient is experiencing is the side effect
of this. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are effective ways to treat cancer that has metastasize to
lymph nodes.
Tachikawa
Q: This patient has a lingual cancer that is still in an early stage. He has a lesion of 2 mm (0.08
inch) in size. He will have an operation to remove it, during which the doctors will also remove
two lymph nodes around his jaws. Although the metastasis to lymph nodes was not found in the
CT scan, the doctors want to make sure. He is scheduled to have radiotherapy and chemotherapy
after the surgery, but he doesn’t want to go through with them. He wants to have a second
opinion from you. For your information, the patient is currently taking one bottle of liquid
fucoidan a day. Thank you for your advice.
A: It is said that operation in the best course of action for any lingual cancer of 4 cm (1.6 inch) or
smaller in size. Since his cancer in only 2 mm (0.08 inch), however, I believe he should try
radiotherapy instead of operation. Specifically, I recommend internal irradiation (irradiating the
interior of cancerous tissue) rather than external irradiation. Surgery will inevitably decrease the
function of the tongue and also affect QOL. Considering these negative effects, I can’t
recommend operation at this moment. It is important to take fucoidan before he receives the
operation, chemotherapy and radiation. If possible, he should take 0.28 oz or so.
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Tachikawa
Pharyngeal Cancer
Conquering Progressive Pharyngeal Cancer
I’m glad I didn’t do the re-excision, since I can now enjoy karaoke to my heart’s content.
[Kousuke Izumiya, Farmer, male, 61 years old, Sabae City, Fukui, Japan]
Being a heavy smoke who consumed 40 cigarettes a day, I had no doubt that I would develop
cancer someday. Each year at the annual municipal health check, I was told to quit smoking.
However, I thought a real man would not quit smoking simply for fear of cancer. I have a farm,
which was basically run by my son and others. I had a lot of free time, and my greatest
enjoyment was going to karaoke with my friends. However, in April of last year my voice turned
hoarse and didn’t return. I thought I had a lingering cold. When I spewed out blood, I panicked.
The lymph in my throat had already swollen. I still hesitated to go to the hospital, but my friends
forced me to have an examination.
The doctor examined my throat using an endoscope and then diagnosed me with pharyngeal
cancer. It was a cancer that develop in the glottis, and mine was a malignant one that had already
spread to the surrounding lymph nodes. The doctor said I could lose my life if nothing was done,
so he suggested that I have the entire pharynx, including the vocal chords, removed surgically.
Suddenly, darkness fell over me. I could quit smoking, but I couldn’t bear the thought of not
being able to enjoy karaoke, not to mention losing my voice entirely. The doctor assured me by
telling me about “ esophageal voice”, a method to utter sounds using the esophagus. I saw a
video of patients using esophageal voice and was convinced that it wasn’t for me. I asked myself,
which was more important, life or voice. It was really a tough question. Initially, radiotherapy
was used to suppress the spread of cancer.
The day before I was to begin my radiotherapy, my karaoke friends came to see me at the
hospital. One of them, the quietest guy in the group, gave me fucoidan. He said, “Take this, and
the cancer will go away. You won’t feel a thing during the radiotherapy, either”. His small,
mumbling voice didn’t make it sound convincing, though. After my friends left, I took out the
fucoidan. I like anything that goes through my throat, be it cigarette smoke or alcohol, so
swallowing the fucoidan capsules was not much of a problem. I took seven capsules each time,
four times a day. I had heard about patients running slight fevers and feeling nauseous because of
radiotherapy. However, I didn’t feel a thing when the therapy began. I thought maybe it was
because of fucoidan. After a while my doctor said, “The radiotherapy seems to be working very
well. Let’s combine radiotherapy and anticancer drugs to see what happens. We may not need to
remove your vocal chords”. His words cheered me up. Soon the first box of fucoidan was empty,
and I asked my son to bring me a heap of the capsules. About a month after I was introduced to
fucoidan, I sensed that the lump in my throat had become smaller. My voice was returning, also.
Most importantly, I was able to eat, which accelerated my recovery. They say anticancer drugs
often make the patient lose hair or feel nauseated, but neither of those things happened to me. Of
course, this statement is not entirely true, because I was already bald. Two months after my
admission, the doctor told me that my cancer had become smaller. I was very happy. I
immediately went to the smoking room in the hospital and enjoyed several puffs. Unfortunately,
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a doctor saw me smoking and I was scolded badly. I understand it was his responsibility to keep
me away from cigarettes, but in my mind I had already recovered. Another month had passed,
and I was released from the hospital. I was truly impressed by the power of fucoidan. I quit
smoking at home, because my son and daughter-in-law would yell at me if I did. Once in a while,
though, when I go to karaoke with my friends, I can’t help smoking one or two cigarettes.
Despite such an occasional indulgence, I feel quite well, thanks to fucoidan. It has been a year
since I left the hospital, and I can’t believe I really had cancer. My friends now praise my voice,
saying it has become better since the cancer.
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