Cahit Ermiş, who has been smoking for 60 years, consulted to the physician for hoarseness and swallowing difficulty. After the examinations, he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. At Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital, he recovered from the tumour that covers half of his larynx thanks to the intraoral laser operation. Moreover, he regained his voice.

Cahit Ermiş was having hard days when he was diagnosed with second stage laryngeal cancer with the effect of the cigarette, from which he said “I cannot leave” for years. Ermiş, 70-year-old, had difficulty in making his voice heard from one room to another. Ermiş, stating that he had been using the cigarette known as the main cause of the laryngeal tumour for 60 years, said, "I was thinking that I could not quit smoking, I also thought that even if I could quit, I could not live, but I have quitted it immediately with the diagnosis.”

After the examinations carried out at Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital, the tumour covering half of his throat was removed from the mouth with intraoral laser operation without puncturing the throat. Cahit Ermiş, who stated that he had difficulty even communicating with his wife due to hoarseness, said “I had aphonia constantly. When I did not make myself understood, I got so angry. The disease was beginning to affect our social lives as well. Now I even started singing. Right now, I'm very pleased with my life, and I'm not having any difficulties.”

“After Closed Surgery, The Patient Is Healing Fast”

Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck surgery specialist, Prof. Dr Zeynep Alkan, who performed the operation of Cahit Ermiş, told that Laryngeal tumour operations could be performed with closed technique. She said "Laryngeal tumours are diseases that can be treated by removing all or part of the larynx. Now, these surgeries are started to be performed not through the neck but with the intraoral operation. We reach the larynx through the mouth and determine the boundaries of the tumour with a laser under a microscope and perform it in early-stage tumours and in some appropriate advanced-stage tumours."

Can Be Applied In Selected Advanced Stage Tumors

Prof. Dr Zeynep Alkan, who stated that laser surgery might not be suitable for all advanced tumours, gave the following information: "It is also important whether the tumour spreads to the neck outside the larynx. If it spreads to the neck, it may be necessary to remove some of the larynx along with the neck dissection surgery. In the closed technique, as the tissues are protected, it is easier for the patient to swallow and make sounds. However, since the entire larynx is removed in case of advanced tumours, a prosthesis is applied to produce sound again, or the patient is trained to make sound by pushing the stomach air and with burping. Most importantly, the patient has to live with a permanent hole in his throat. In the closed operation, on the other hand, besides the fast recovery period, there is no hole in the patient's throat.”

“The Only Enemy For A Laryngeal Tumor Is Smoking”

Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Otolaryngology and Neck Surgery Specialist, Prof. Dr Zeynep Alkan pointed out the importance of smoking in the formation of laryngeal tumours, as in this case. Prof. Dr Zeynep Alkan, who stated "Our main enemy in the laryngeal tumour is smoking", said, "alcohol also increases the carcinogenic effect of smoking if taken with cigarettes and we see the tumour shifting towards the root of the tongue. Due to the fact that alcohol increases the permeability of soft tissues, this makes the cigarette more likely to come into contact with the mucosa. When the two come together, they become carcinogenic. Larynx cancers began to appear in passive smoking. The family must support the patient to quit smoking. At this point, the main task falls to relatives. If a non-smoking environment is provided at home, the person quits smoking more easily.”