Take me to St. Mark's Hospital: Expert care for a pregnant mom with head and neck cancer
Emily Ketchum was just 29 and pregnant with her third child when she was diagnosed with a type of cancer collectively known as head and neck cancer. Due to her age, her tobacco- and alcohol-free lifestyle and no other known risk factors, Emily was initially told that the lesion on the back of her tongue had only about a 1% chance of being malignant. Her dentist and the oral surgeon who did a biopsy encouraged her not to worry because tongue lesions are quite common during pregnancy. However, the test results showed the painful spot on her tongue was stage 2 squamous cell carcinoma — a cancer that generally affects older people but has been increasing in younger people since the 1970s.
"Sometime in March or April, I noticed I was having a hard time eating and drinking because of a painful area at the back of my tongue," said Emily, busy mom to 5-year-old daughter, Cecilia (now 6), and 2-year-old son, Rowan (now 3). "But it wasn’t debilitating so I didn’t have it checked out. In early November it started to get worse so I saw my dentist. He wasn’t really worried but sent me to an oral surgeon for a biopsy. On November 14, we found out I had cancer. It was a shock to me and my husband. We weren’t expecting anything like that."
Emily needed immediate surgery to remove the cancer and, at 18 weeks pregnant, she would also require expert maternity support before, during and afterward. At St. Mark's Hospital, Emily received leading-edge surgery and skilled labor and delivery care. Providing further peace of mind for Emily and her husband, Jason, was St. Mark's high-level neonatal intensive care unit (Level III NICU), which delivers comprehensive, critical care for premature and critically ill newborns.
Emily went in for surgery one week after her diagnosis.
"I was going to do what I needed to do to be here for my kids," Emily said. "Even though I was pregnant, I needed to have the surgery right away to minimize the risk of spread. My doctor — Anthony Sanchez, MD, a head and neck surgery specialist — was great. I would definitely recommend him. He answered all our questions, kept us informed and did everything he could to protect my baby, including doing a CT scan from the shoulders up to minimize radiation exposure."
Blessed and impressed
St. Mark’s Hospital is home to specialized equipment used to treat Emily’s condition, which meant that she only had to spend one night in the hospital away from her family. Her surgeon performed a partial glossectomy to remove the cancerous tissue from her tongue and a right neck dissection to remove and examine lymph nodes in her neck.
"We had never been to St. Mark’s," Emily says. "We were very impressed and blessed to get in so quickly. We were astonished by how quickly everything happened."
"I had three nurses while I was there, and they were all friendly and quick to respond to our requests. And the labor and delivery team was there to check on the baby before and after surgery. I appreciated knowing that they would be there during surgery, too, if they had been needed. We always got care very quickly and received prompt answers to our questions. We were kept very well informed about what was happening. We were so blessed!"
Emily adds that while the diagnosis and the surgery felt “like a mountain to comprehend and scale,” she has found increased trust in her medical care team thanks to her faith. Church members and neighbors sincerely cared for her — offering her a tremendous amount of support.
"I'm thankful for the hope it has given me in this fight," Emily said. "I want to emphasize the importance of finding that team whether it be in your religion, family, friends, or support groups. Please don't go through this alone. You're not alone and you don't have to be. There is always someone who cares."
Trust your doctors
Emily is thankful for her support system, including her husband, family and parents, and for those who provided excellent care at St. Mark’s. She wants others — especially other young people — to know they are not alone.
"Getting a cancer diagnosis is scary, but it doesn’t have to be," she says. "There are lots of great doctors, nurses and hospitals. There will be someone who can help you. Trust your doctors and take it one day, one step at a time. Be willing to open up to those who can support you, whether it’s family, friends or neighbors. Otherwise, it’s too overwhelming."
She also advocates for regular checkups and early detection.
"Don’t skip that doctor’s appointment — even if it’s just a checkup. You never know what’s going to be found. You can catch something early by going to see your doctor annually."
Like other post-operation cancer surgery patients, Emily will have regular follow-ups with her surgeon and see a radiation oncologist after she gives birth. But for now, Emily is doing great and is excited to bring baby Ketchum number three (another boy!) into the world.
Head and neck cancer increasing in younger adults
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that head and neck cancers make up nearly 4% of all cancers in the U.S. and are more than twice as common in men than they are in women. Historically, they tended to affect patients over 50, but diagnoses have been increasing in young adults since the 1970s — even among those with little to no risk factors.
Head and neck cancers can form in the oral cavity, throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity and salivary glands. They do not typically include cancers of the brain, eye, esophagus, thyroid gland or skin of the head and neck.