Life Endures, Hope Reborn - The Victory Battle of a Seventy-Year-Old Warrior Against Recurrent Laryngeal Cancer

Laryngeal Cancer, as one of the common malignant tumors of the head and neck, often imposes a heavy burden on patients and their families upon recurrence.

Recently, our hospital'sDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, under the leadership of Director Li Hui, successfully completed the hospital's first high-difficulty surgery — Total Laryngectomy + Bilateral Neck Lymph Node Dissection + Esophageal Reconstruction + Tracheostomy, which not only ensured surgical safety with minimal blood loss, cleared the lesion for the patient, relieved dyspnea, but also significantly improved the patient's quality of life, opening a new chapter in his life.

Director Li Hui and Team - Intraoperative Photo

Mr. Wang (alias), a 72-year-old patient, had undergone a partial laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer 9 years ago. Unfortunately, he recently developed hoarseness and dyspnea, persisting for over three months, severely impacting his quality of life. More challenging was that the patient had sought treatment at multiple hospitals without a definitive diagnosis of laryngeal cancer recurrence, and his symptoms not only failed to improve but worsened. This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of treatment and the patient's psychological burden.

Facing the complex condition, seeking definitive treatment, in early June, Mr. Wang, accompanied by his family, came to the outpatient clinic of Director Li Hui in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at our hospital. After a detailed history inquiry, Director Li learned that Mr. Wang had undergone a partial laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer 9 years ago. Over the past six months, his breathing had become increasingly difficult, relying solely on a tracheostomy opening, yet the cause of this dyspnea remained elusive.

Seeing the anxious expressions of the patient and his family, Director Li combined imaging studies with electronic nasopharyngolaryngoscopydirect visualization, revealing that the patient's larynx was completely obstructed by a new growth, accompanied by surrounding bone destruction. Leveraging his extensive clinical experience and keen insight, Director Li preliminarily diagnosed the patient with recurrent laryngeal cancer. To confirm the diagnosis, Director Li Hui's team performed a biopsy using a suspension laryngoscope to obtain tissue. The final pathology results confirmed the recurrence of laryngeal cancer, and he was promptly admitted for hospitalization.

With a confirmed diagnosis upon admission, surgical resection was the primary treatment option. Under the direction of Director Li Hui, the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery collaborated closely with the Oncology Department, Radiology Department, and Anesthesiology Department in the operating room, conducting repeated preoperative discussions on Mr. Wang's condition. Considering the patient's advanced age, post-operative tumor recurrence, and late-stage disease, a professional and safe treatment plan was formulated according to current domestic laryngeal cancer treatment guidelines. After thorough communication with the patient and his family, the decision was made to proceed with "Total Laryngectomy + Bilateral Neck Lymph Node Dissection + Esophageal Reconstruction + Tracheostomy."

After excluding surgical contraindications and following thorough preoperative evaluation and preparation, with the support of the Anesthesiology Department, Director Li's team first performed a meticulous neck incision and flapdissection, followed by sequential dissection of bilateral cervical lymph nodes to clear all potential metastatic lesions. Subsequently, the surgeons successfully resected the patient's larynx and performed esophageal reconstruction to restore digestive function. Finally, through a tracheostomy, a new airway was established for the patient, ensuring postoperative respiratory safety.

The entire surgical procedure lasted several hours, with minimal blood loss, fully demonstrating the hospital's exquisite skill and extensive experience in treating recurrent laryngeal cancer. Postoperatively, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for close monitoring. Within 24 hours, his vital signs were stable, and recovery was progressing well, allowing him to be smoothly transferred back to a general ward.

Director Li Hui stated that the success of the surgery is only the first step in the treatment process; postoperative rehabilitation is equally critical. With the meticulous care of the nursing team, the patient gradually regained strength and began subsequent rehabilitation therapy and functional training. Although he has lost his larynx, through professional rehabilitation training, the patient is expected to learn to communicate using esophageal speech or other assistive speech devices, enabling him to reintegrate into society.

The throat is a vital organ in the human body, responsible for functions such as breathing, phonation, and swallowing. Its importance is self-evident. It is reported