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Patient Story: Squamous Cell Carcinoma

September 19, 2024 | Reading Time: 2 minutes
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man feeling of his throat with one hand

Mr. Smith was shaving when he felt a lump on the left side of his neck. He had also been bothered by a recent tooth infection, so he went to see his primary care doctor.

The doctor prescribed antibiotics. But when the lump was still there two weeks later, he ordered a CT scan of Mr. Smith’s neck and referred him to a local cancer specialist. The oncologist sent him for a biopsy of the lump.

Mr. Smith was shocked to learn he had squamous cell cancer, a type of skin cancer that often appears as scaly red patches, open sores or raised growths.

Squamous cell cancer is the most common type of cancer in the head and neck area. Most of these cancers are related to smoking and drinking, but some are connected to the human papilloma virus (HPV). Typical symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck include a new neck lump, difficulty swallowing, sore throat, ear pain on one side only, and a persistent change in voice. Some patients can even have trouble breathing.

Mr. Smith was referred to Dr. Nassif Abudinen, a head and neck surgical oncologist at Huntsville Hospital and North Alabama ENT.

Mr. Smith was a lifelong smoker, and Dr. Nassif Abudinen noticed his left tonsil appeared bigger and firmer than the right. The biopsy report noted that Mr. Smith’s cancer was associated with HPV; a follow-up PET-CT scan showed he had left tonsil cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes in his neck – but fortunately not anywhere else.

The recommended treatment for head and neck cancers depends on where the cancer originated and how much it has spread to nearby lymph nodes

Mr. Smith was given with the option of surgery to remove the cancerous growth followed by radiation, or combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy. After a discussion with Dr. Nassif Abudinen and the rest of his cancer care team, he opted for surgery.

The procedure was performed at Huntsville Hospital using the state-of-the-art Da Vinci robotic surgery system. Mr. Smith then underwent radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells and prevent it from returning.

A year after finishing his treatments, Mr. Smith is now cancer free.

Samih Nassif, MD

Samih Nassif Abudinen, MD, is a board-certified otolaryngologist who specializes in head and neck cancer surgery at North Alabama ENT Associates. He joined the Huntsville Hospital medical staff in 2023.

HH Health provides comprehensive head and neck cancer care in partnership with Clearview Cancer Institute and Alliance Cancer Care. Click here to learn more.

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