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After Tony Loth was diagnosed with tonsil cancer, a local specialist told him the best course of action was a radical neck dissection. He accepted this plan and went home. His doctor was the expert, after all.

Later that night, his wife, a dentist, drew out the procedure for him. Now he could see just how invasive it would be. ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes to beat cancer, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Tony thought. But he wondered if there was an easier way.

That¡¯s what led him to MD Anderson. Here, doctors outlined a much simpler surgery -- one that would be performed robotically. The difference that decision made in his recovery and side effects has changed Tony¡¯s life.

Tony¡¯s tonsil cancer diagnosis

In October 2018, Tony woke up one morning and noticed a lump on the left side of his neck. It seemed to have popped up overnight. His wife urged him to see a doctor.

The doctor suggested that it was an inflamed lymph node and prescribed a round of antibiotics. When that didn¡¯t clear it up, he saw an ear, nose and throat specialist, who performed a biopsy. It came back negative, but the doctor was still suspicious. He suspected that Tony had tonsil cancer. A second test confirmed this diagnosis. After the doctor suggested the radical neck dissection, Tony¡¯s wife persuaded him to call MD Anderson. Since he lived in Fort Worth, just a few hours north of Houston, he knew of MD Anderson¡¯s expertise. But he thought he was unlikely to be able to get an appointment.  

¡°That was probably the biggest misconception I had before going to MD Anderson,¡± Tony says. ¡°I thought you had to have a connection to get an appointment. But my wife just called the main number. I had an appointment a few days later. The people at MD Anderson ¨C all of them -- are so helpful.¡±

Coming to MD Anderson for tonsil cancer treatment

Tony¡¯s first appointment was with ., a head and neck cancer surgeon.

¡°He immediately put me at ease,¡± Tony says.

Myers looked at Tony and told him, ¡°This is very curable. It¡¯s something we see a lot of.¡±

After undergoing more scans and biopsies to confirm his diagnosis, Tony¡¯s care team determined that head and neck cancer surgeon , would perform surgery to remove the cancer and one of Tony¡¯s tonsils. Afterward, Dr. Gross would determine if he needed additional treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During the surgery, Gross would use a robot that could more nimbly remove the area affected by the cancer, preventing Tony from having to deal with a long and painful recovery.

Tony asked if he should just go ahead and have both his tonsils removed.

¡°You have two tonsils for a reason,¡± Gross explained to Tony. ¡°We don¡¯t want to take anything out we don¡¯t have to.¡±

Robotic surgery means easy recovery

On Feb. 14, 2019, Tony had his tonsil removed. He recovered in the hospital for two days, and after one night in a nearby hotel, he and his wife drove home to Fort Worth. Tony suffered some pain initially, but it soon subsided. He couldn¡¯t believe how easy his recovery was. Prior to surgery, a specialist at MD Anderson taught him how to swallow so he could start eating soon afterward.

¡°It was enormously helpful,¡± Tony says. He jokes that he gained weight following surgery a little more quickly than he would have liked.

A few days later he received a call from Justin Sellers, a physician assistant who worked with Gross. The surgery had been a big success, Sellers told Tony. There was no need for chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

¡°It meant so much that Justin called me right away,¡± Tony says. ¡°He knew how important that phone call was to me.¡±

Gratitude for caring

Tony has now been cancer-free for almost two years. Throughout his experience at MD Anderson, he had been struck by how personable everyone he met was.

¡°Everyone who works at MD Anderson wants to make you feel comfortable. If a staff member sees you are lost walking through the halls, they will stop and help you,¡± he says, recalling a time when staff directed him to the correct elevator.

He had expected his doctors to be extremely knowledgeable, but he hadn¡¯t expected them to be so caring, too.

¡°They¡¯re the epitome of specialized. All they do is cancer all day,¡± Tony says. ¡°But mostly, they¡¯re just real people who really care about you and really care about what they¡¯re doing. I would recommend that anyone who is diagnosed with any form of cancer, no matter how bad it looks, call MD Anderson. Caring is what they¡¯re all about.¡±   

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