(NAPSA)—According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 42,000 Americans develop head and neck cancers every year. Here’s a look at one of them: Lewis’ Story Lewis was a busy man. He and his wife, Amy, were running an aerobic exercise group in their community and also volunteering throughoutthe north Florida area. On a hot and dry dayin June of 2011, whentheair wasfilled with smoke from nearby wildfires, Lewis came home from tennis coughing and clearing his throat. He also had sores in his mouth, so he decidedto go to his doctor. “The doctor looked at my tonsil and Lewis is a two-time cancer survivor, determined to livelife despite the risk. tonsillitis I've ever seen in an adult... or it’s something else,” Lewis says. The doctor recommended moretesting. Af- dance ranges from 25 to 45 people. told me, “That’s either the worst case of ter the tests, Lewis was told that it was a malignant (cancerous) tumor. “Whenyouhear the word ‘cancer; your world changesin an instant,” says Lewis. Moretesting showed that it was an advanced stage of cancer—Stage IV— and to have surgery on it would require breaking his jawbone and taking out a lot of tissue, permanently changing his appearance and ability to swallow and eat. Oncologists told him that there was just as good a chance that the tumor would shrink with radiation and chemotherapy as it would with surgery. Lewis had seven chemotherapytreatments and 35 radiation treatments over the course of the next seven weeks. By the end of treatment, he could no longer swallow and had to use a feeding tube. But the tumorhad shrunkto the pointthat doctors could no longer detect cancer. Outof a sense ofgratitudeforall the help they got, Lewis and Amy decided to start a support group for people with head and neck cancers. They contacted a national organization and got the materials to start a chapter where they live. Lewis and Amy handedoutflyers to local doctors’ offices and hospitals. Atthe first meeting, six people showed up—including somethey already knew but had no idea were dealing with head and neck cancers. Now, meeting attenThen, in December of 2015, Lew- is found a sore on his tongue that wouldn't go away, even with steroid treatment. His oncologist did a biopsy and found another tumor. He was scheduled for surgery right away, because he was told that he was not a good candidate for more radiation, as hed had very high doses during the last round four years before. Additional oncologists who reviewed his case thought he might lose his tongue and part of his jaw. But a biopsyafter surgery showed no cancer cells remaining on his tongue. “T still have a high risk of the cancer coming back but I’m still going to live mylife,” Lewis says. He recommendsthat if someone is diagnosed with a head or neck cancer, he or she should listen to the doctors very closely—and carry a notebook to write down details about treatment. He and Amyalso say that support groups help both the person diagnosed and the caregiver. Cancer Causes Smoking and alcohol use are major risk factors for head and neck cancers. Learn More For further facts about head and neck cancers, visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/ headneck.
