Cancer Patient Has Titanium Bike Chain Implanted To Save Her Jaw
A cancer patient who lost a significant amount of jaw bone tissue has undergone a 12 hour operation to save her jaw; during the procedure, doctors fitted a titanium implant, similar to a bike chain, to strengthen the jawbone and restore function.
Mother of two, Liese Healing, was diagnosed with jaw cancer after she started to lose teeth and experience jaw pain; she had already battled ovarian cancer.
Liese was referred to University Hospital in Coventry for the procedure, which took a total of 12 hours. During the operation, doctors attached a chain-like implant made from titanium to the bone. After the procedure, Liese had chemotherapy and radiotherapy and she had to learn to chew and speak again.
Liese said that doctors had warned her that she may die during surgery, but she was determined to have the procedure after beating cancer earlier in her life; she said that she had already survived ovarian cancer and “wasn’t going to let this one beat me.”
During the procedure, surgeons, Dr Gary Walton and Dr Raj Sandhu, removed the disease bone tissue and then fitted the titanium chain to hold the jaw in place and tissue was transplanted and grafted to replace the diseased tissue.
Liese said that her jaw is still painful, but she is hugely grateful for the work of the doctors and is looking forward to the future.
Dr Walton said that Liese’s story is becoming increasingly common, as people are largely unaware of the symptoms of oral cancer; he added that Liese is fortunate that her dentist referred her for specialist treatment when he did. Dr Walton advised patients to have regular dental checks and to see their dentist as quickly as possible if they experience persistent pain, slow-healing ulcers or sores or abnormal swelling in the mouth or throat.
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