Phoenix-based Mayo Clinic in Arizona performed the third total larynx transplant in the U.S. and the first to be performed on a patient with active cancer.
The larynx, most commonly known as the voice box, is an organ rarely transplanted. The first larynx transplant in the world was performed in 1998, and then a second one was performed in 2010.
On February 29, it took six Mayo Clinic surgeons 21 hours to perform the third transplant on a Massachusetts man, Marty Kedian, according to a July 8 system news release. Mr. Kedian was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a rare form of laryngeal cancer. For 10 years, he underwent dozens of surgeries that diminished his voice and his ability to swallow and breathe normally. He underwent the transplant as part of a Mayo Clinic clinical trial.
Four months post-surgery, Mr. Kedian has regained about 60% of his voice and can speak with the same voice and Boston accent he had prior to the cancer. His ability to swallow and breathe have also been improved.
"Until now, laryngeal transplants have been done as one-offs," David Lott, MD, chair of the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery/audiology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, said in the release. "This clinical trial allows us to conduct a true scientific investigation aimed at thoroughly researching the safety and efficacy of laryngeal transplantation as a trusted option for patients."
The clinical trial is approved to perform additional larynx transplants in the coming years.