Guest post by Mark S. Persky, MD, Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel
When Anthony Palminteri began having pain when swallowing, he knew something was wrong.
“I started having difficulty swallowing, and the pain got progressively worse,” Anthony says. “It made it hard to eat.” After several doctors failed to diagnose and treat his symptoms, Anthony was left with more questions than answers.
“I saw a handful of different doctors – one put me on antacids, another placed me on antivirals,” he recalls. “Nothing worked. After nine months with no solution, the pain only worsened. I knew I had to keep pursuing it until I had a proper diagnosis.”
It wasn’t until he met experts at Beth Israel Medical Center that he finally found an answer. “I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue,” Anthony recalls. “I didn’t even know I could get that type of cancer.”
Oral cancer risk factors
“Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of tongue cancer that begins in the cells that cover the surface of the tongue,” says Mark Persky, MD, Chairman of The Max L. Som, MD, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Beth Israel.
Although tobacco, heavy alcohol use and the human papillomavirus (HPV) increase the risk for oral cancer, many people with this type of cancer, including Anthony, have no risk factors. Symptoms include a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, a bad taste in the mouth, blood in the saliva and ear pain.
Targeted treatment, better outcomes
Shortly after his diagnosis, Anthony started radiation therapy to eliminate the cancer cells. Dr. Persky worked in conjunction with Louis B. Harrison, MD, Physician-in-Chief of the Continuum Cancer Centers of New York, to tailor treatment specific to Anthony’s needs.
Anthony’s physicians recommended a two-step approach to treating the cancer, starting with external beam radiation therapy. After more than a month of daily radiotherapy, Anthony then started brachytherapy – a treatment that implants radioactive seeds at the cancer site to target the cancer and spare healthy surrounding tissue.
“Brachytherapy is a major part of the treatment plan for these types of cancers,” Dr. Persky says. “It provides an excellent rate of cure and patients do better functionally post treatment since it minimizes damage to the tissue surrounding the cancers.”
Today, Anthony’s cancer remains in remission, thanks to the team approach his physicians took to manage his case. “I’ve known a lot of doctors in my life, and Dr. Persky and Dr. Harrison were among the best,” Anthony says. “They’re stand-up people who never looked at me as a number. It was nice having two experts looking out for my best interests.”
Find a physician who can assess your risk factors for head, neck and throat cancer by calling 1-855-411-LWNY (5969) or visiting chpnyc.org.