.
. HE
. HE MADE
. HE MADE US JUMP SOMETIMES HAD
US RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL AND
RIGHT NOW EDDIE VAN HALEN HAS
MUSIC FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD
MOURNING THE ROCK AND ROLL
GUITAR HERO LOST HIS BATTLE
WITH CANCER AT THE AGE OF 65.
>> NOW VAN HALEN HAD THROAT
CANCER, A DISEASE NOT OFTEN
TALKED ABOUT BUT ONE THAT CAN
BE VERY SERIOUS.
JOINING US NOW VIA SKYPE WITH
MORE ON JUST HOW SERIOUS IT IS
IS HEADED NEXT SURGEON DR. JAY
FARRELL.
FARRELL.
FARRELL. GOOD MORNING, DR. FARRELL.
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US.
>> OBVIOUSLY THE NEWS OF VAN
HELEN'S DEATH SHOCKED THE WORLD
AND IS NOW PUTTING A LOT OF
ATTENTION ON THIS SPECIFIC TYPE
OF CANCER.
OF CANCER. WHO EXACTLY IS AT RISK FOR
THROAT CANCER?
THROAT CANCER? >> WELL, IT'S AN EXCELLENT,
EXCELLENT QUESTION.
EXCELLENT QUESTION. YOU KNOW THE HEAD NECK AND
THE CANCER IS A SERIOUS DISEASE
BUT IT MAY BE ONE THAT SO MUCH
MUST BE OVERSHADOWED BY BY
OTHER BY OTHER MALIGNANCIES.
TRADITIONALLY IT WAS THOUGHT TO
BE A CANCER AFFECTED PRIMARILY
OLDER MEN USED IN THEIR 60S OR
70S.
70S.
70S. TYPICALLY WITH THAT HEAVY
HISTORY OF PAST TOBACCO OR OR
ALCOHOL USE, HOWEVER, THAT'S
REALLY NO LONGER THE CASE.
AND IN FACT HEAD NECK CANCERS
BECOME THE SIXTH MOST COMMON
CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND AS YOUR VIEWERS MAY HAVE
HEARD OF THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS
,WE'VE BETTER UNDERSTOOD A
CONNECTION ALSO BETWEEN THE HPV
VIRUS WHICH IS WELL KNOWN TO
CAUSE CAN'T CERVICAL CANCER IN
WOMEN AS A DIRECT LINK TO AN
INCREASED RATE OF CANCER THAT
WE HAVE SEEN IN YOUNGER ADULTS
WITHOUT ANY SMOKING HISTORY AND
THESE CANCERS CAN AFFECT
THE BACK OF THE THROAT TONSIL
BASE OF TONGUE AS WELL.
SO IT'S A IT'S A DISEASE THAT
CAN UNFORTUNATELY AFFECT PEOPLE
ACROSS THE SPECTRUM AND FROM
MANY DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE.
AND YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW
,DRINKING SMOKING CAN BE RISK
FACTORS.
FACTORS.
FACTORS. >> HPV BUT MAYBE WHAT ARE SOME
EARLY SIGNS TO WATCH OUT FOR?
>> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. SURE.
SURE.
SURE. THAT'S A FANTASTIC QUESTION.
>> THE SYMPTOMS OF HEAD NECK
CANCER CAN UNFORTUNATELY BE A
LITTLE BIT TRICKY TO DIAGNOSIS
FIRST AND THEY CAN MIMIC OTHER
CONDITIONS BE IT A COMMON COLD
OR OR ALLERGIES THINGS THAT
OBVIOUSLY MAYBE EVEN SOUTH
TEXAS EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY.
BUT THINGS THAT PATIENTS SHOULD
LOOK OUT FOR IT SHOULD BRING TO
THEIR PHYSICIAN'S ATTENTION
WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE
PERSISTENT SORE THROAT.
AND BY THAT I MEAN A SORE
THROAT THAT STAYING THE SAME OR
GETTING WORSE OVER TWO WEEKS OR
MORE CHANGES IN VOICE OR
SWALLOWING.
SWALLOWING. AND AGAIN, THIS CAN HAPPEN FROM
DAY TO DAY LONG AS IT GOES BACK
TO NORMAL IT'S NOT AS
CONCERNING.
CONCERNING. BUT IF SOMEONE KNOWS THAT THEIR
VOICE QUALITY OF THEIR
SWALLOWING ABILITY HAS
PERSISTENTLY WORSENED OVER
SEVERAL WEEKS, THAT'S A RED
FLAG THAT NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED
BY PHYSICIAN.
BY PHYSICIAN. AND ONE OF THE MORE COMMON
PRESENTING SYMPTOMS IS
THE REASON WHY I CAN BE
DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE UP FRONT
IS PATIENTS MAY HAVE VERY
MINIMAL SYMPTOMS BEYOND
SWELLING OR A LUMP IN THERE IN
THEIR NECK WHICH CAN BE FIRST
THE FIRST SIGN.
SO YOU KNOW, AS PATIENTS ARE
GETTING READY FOR THE DAILY
ACTIVITIES, YOU KNOW, BRUSHING
YOUR TEETH, THESE TYPES OF
THINGS THAT THEY NOTICE
SOMETHING DIFFERENT SOMETHING
ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE THAT
DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT.
I ALWAYS PLAYED THE SAFE SIDE
AND BRING IT TO YOUR
PHYSICIAN'S ATTENTION.
PHYSICIAN'S ATTENTION. NOW VAN HELEN'S FAMILY SAID
THAT HE BATTLED THROAT CANCER
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
>> SO IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH
IT, WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT
OPTIONS FROM THAT POINT?
>> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. WELL, THE MAIN TREATMENT
OPTIONS FOR HEAD NECK CANCER
AND IT DOES DEPEND SOMEWHAT ON
THE LOCATION OF IT BE AT
THE TONGUE OR THE THROAT OR
THE OR THE VOICE BOX.
BUT THE PRIMARY TREATMENTS OR
RATHER SURGERY OR RADIATION
THERAPY TO TRY AND DESTROY
THE TUMOR OR ANY OTHER LYMPH
NODES WHICH MAY CONTAIN MAY
CONTAIN THE CANCER.
CHEMOTHERAPY CAN BE USED AS
WELL TYPICALLY IN MORE ADVANCED
OR AGGRESSIVE STAGES.
WE DO HAVE NEWER TREATMENTS
THAT HAVE COME OUT IN RECENT
YEARS THAT YOUR VIEWERS MAY
HAVE HEARD OF SUCH AS
IMMUNOTHERAPY WHICH ACTUALLY
HARNESS THE POWER OF THE BODY'S
IMMUNE SYSTEM TO TO ATTACK
THE CANCER.
THE CANCER. BUT THE INDICATIONS FOR THOSE
TREATMENTS ARE STILL STILL
EVOLVING.
EVOLVING.
EVOLVING. SOME GREAT INFORMATION THERE.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
HAD A NEXT SURGEON.