Description
In this Conquering Cancer segment from THV11, Karen Fuller speaks with Ann Gibbs, an Arkansas woman who fought and overcame tongue cancer. Ann’s journey began with what appeared to be a simple canker sore and led her to Dr. Mauricio Moreno, an otolaryngologist at UAMS Health. Through detailed planning and extensive surgery, Dr. Moreno helped Ann reclaim her life, demonstrating the importance of early detection and specialized care in battling oral cancer.
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Transcript
Karen Fuller:
New findings from the American Cancer Society show startling growth in the number of oral cancers in America. Today, in our Conquering Cancer series, meet an Arkansas woman who’s won her battle against this lesser-known disease and the surgeon who made it possible.
Ann Gibbs and her husband, Matt, feel at home at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and spent plenty of time there during her treatment for tongue cancer, now eight years ago, in the care of Dr. Mauricio Moreno, an otolaryngologist who specializes in tough cases like Ann’s. For her, it started with what looked like a typical canker sore.
Ann Gibbs:
And I just kept waiting and kept waiting and kept waiting because I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to know, actually. And after a couple of weeks, it didn’t go away. It was a weird shape and it was really hard.
Fuller:
Eventually, Ann saw her primary care doctor, who advised her to get the sore biopsied right away. After months of waiting, it was time to find out what was going on and whether it really was cancer. Ann recalls the phone call.
Gibbs:
She said, “You have a squamous cell carcinoma.” And I was like, “Okay. Explain to me what that is.” And she said, “Well, it’s kind of like skin cancer, but it’s on your tongue.” It was devastating. I called my best friend, I called my husband, and I was just bawling my eyes out.
Fuller:
Dr. Moreno and his team came up with a plan for a day-long surgery where he would remove the cancer and part of her tongue before carefully rebuilding a replacement using skin from her leg and arm.
Mauricio A. Moreno, M.D.:
The cancer was advanced enough that the procedure she required was fairly extensive.
Fuller:
Dr. Moreno says while mouth cancers are more prevalent in smokers or people who drink alcohol, Ann didn’t do either one. And he says oral cancers are hard to detect. So even those in the medical field often consider other illnesses before they think of the mouth.
Dr. Moreno:
Very commonly, my practice patients have been through multiple courses of antibiotics, thinking it’s an infection and it really delays the diagnosis.
Fuller:
Those delays make early detection harder. By the time Ann met Dr. Moreno, her tongue cancer was at stage three. Now, eight years later, she’s considered fully cured and spreads the word whenever she can that these cancers do happen, but with the right care and treatment, life can begin again.
Gibbs:
If you have any kind of sore in your mouth, anything odd, go get it checked because it could mean the difference between life and death.
Fuller:
We thank Ann for sharing her story. Dr. Moreno says Arkansas has higher rates of mouth cancers than the national average. That’s due to higher rates of smoking in the state. High alcohol use is another risk factor. And one other note — you can be seen at UAMS without a referral from a doctor.
