WASHINGTON. A Massachusetts man has regained his voice after surgeons removed his cancerous larynx and replaced it with a donated one in a groundbreaking medical procedure. This rare voice box transplant, performed at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, marks only the third such operation in the United States and is part of a pioneering clinical trial aimed at extending the procedure to more patients, including those with cancer.
Marty Kedian, 59, is now able to speak again after the transplant, which took place four months ago. “People need to keep their voice,” Kedian told The Associated Press, still hoarse but able to hold an hour-long conversation. “I want people to know this can be done.” Kedian became emotional recalling the first time he phoned his 82-year-old mother post-surgery: “and she could hear me. … That was important to me, to talk to my mother.”
The trial, led by Dr. David Lott, chair of head and neck surgery at Mayo Clinic, is small, with only nine more participants planned. The goal is to refine the complex transplant process, making it accessible to more individuals who have lost their larynx due to cancer, the most common cause of larynx removal.
The larynx, or voice box, is crucial for breathing, swallowing, and speaking. It houses the vocal cords, which vibrate to produce speech. Kedian is only the third person in the U.S. to receive a total larynx transplant, with previous cases due to injuries.
The transplant involved a 21-hour surgery by six surgeons. They removed Kedian’s cancerous larynx and transplanted the donor larynx along with necessary tissues such as the thyroid and parathyroid glands, pharynx, and upper part of the trachea. They also connected critical nerves to enable swallowing and vocal cord movement.
Kedian’s journey began a decade ago when he was diagnosed with a rare laryngeal cartilage cancer. He underwent numerous surgeries and eventually needed a tracheostomy tube to breathe and swallow, severely limiting his ability to speak. Despite the challenges, Kedian resisted the complete removal of his larynx to maintain his voice for reading bedtime stories to his granddaughter.
His determination led him to the Mayo study, where Dr. Lott deemed him a suitable candidate due to his slow-growing cancer and pre-existing use of antirejection drugs for a kidney transplant. After a 10-month search, a suitable donor was found.
Three weeks post-surgery, Kedian spoke his first words, “hello,” and has since relearned to swallow, progressing from applesauce to hamburgers. He is now looking forward to returning to a normal life in Massachusetts, with plans to remove his tracheostomy tube.
Kedian’s successful transplant offers hope for more patients to regain their voice and quality of life. “Every day it’s getting better,” he said, cherishing his beloved Boston accent.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
