In a clinical trial, a 59-year-old patient whose cancerous larynx was removed received a larynx transplant and regained his voice. The patient was diagnosed with laryngeal cartilage cancer about ten years ago and became the third person in the US to receive a total larynx transplant. The first two total larynx transplantations were performed in 1998 and 2010 on individuals who had lost their voices to injuries caused by a motorcycle accident and a hospital ventilator, respectively.
However, American doctors have been reluctant to adopt larynx transplantation because the larynx is not essential to survive, and antirejection drugs used for transplants can lead to the development of new or recurring cancer. Nevertheless, nine more patients were enrolled in this clinical trial. The cancerous larynx of the patient was removed, and the donor’s larynx was transplanted in a 21-hour surgery…
