*  Below is a slide show exhibiting some of us Helping Others, Our Meetings, and Material of interest.

 

*  Further below is a short intro article about our group published in a USC periodical.

On the first Saturday morning of every month, several people gather, chat, and share personal stories, in the lobby of the Department of Head & Neck Surgery. They are of different ages, gender and race and accompanied by family and/or friends. But they all have one thing in common - they have been diagnosed with Head & Neck (HN) cancer. They are here to participate in the Head & Neck Patient Support Group at USC, to encourage and to be encouraged.

Head & Neck Cancer is the 6th most prevalent cancer around the world, yet remains one of the most under-reported and understudied diseases.

It is not only one of the deadliest cancers (half of the patients die within five years of diagnosis), it is disfiguring and affects the most basic living function, like eating and talking.

HN patients often suffer silently and many of them develop psychosocial problems and slip into depression.

Lack of information and understanding about HN cancer is evident in a number of areas. There are a small number of specialists trained in Head & Neck surgery. Even among the specialists, there are no standard treatment protocols, which can result in vastly different functional outcomes for the patients. Further, there are no systematic rehabilitation programs to help patients deal with difficulties, such as speaking and swallowing, following their medical treatment.  There is also a lack of specific nursing/caring guidelines designed for HN patients to help them deal with daily necessities, such as cleaning their feeding tubes. Although there are some cancer support groups in the Los Angeles area, they seem to be more appropriate for other cancers, not necessarily targeting the special circumstances and needs of HN patients. 

Frustrated by the situation, Stanley (Zack) Cherry, a licensed psychotherapist and a HN cancer patient himself, and Brenda Villegas, a Speech Pathologist at the USC Department of Head & Neck Surgery, started the HN Patient Support Group at USC in August 2005. Since then, this group has been growing in number and has even attracted HN cancer survivors who were treated by non-USC doctors.

As they introduce themselves and talk about their cancer experiences, you will hear one name being mentioned repeatedly with heartfelt gratitude and often with teary eyes Dr. Uttam Sinha from the Department of Head & Neck Surgery.  Many of the participants are Dr. Sinha’s patients. They will tell you how fortunate they feel to have found Dr. Sinha, who with his exceptional compassion, understanding and skill, has given them back the life they thought they had lost.  James Franchino, a survivor and support group member, said it best: “I saw two other doctors at two big cancer centers before I met Dr. Sinha. 

One of them, concerned for my quantity of life, was going to chop half of my jaw off to remove the tumor. The other was concerned with my quality of life, so he recommended radiation and chemo only. Dr. Sinha told me he was concerned with both the quality and quantity of my life, which seemed impossible with the other doctors. Dr. Sinha performed my surgery that spared my jaw, and reconstructed part of my tongue, all in one procedure, followed by radiation.  I now look, eat, and talk normally and coach my son’s soccer team.  Life has never been better.”

  In addition to sharing and exchanging information to make daily living easier and support each other, this group of patients is also working with USC doctors and therapists to develop a mentoring program for new patients, compile a patient guidebook for what to expect at different stages of the cancer treatment and recovery, and even nutritional recipes for patients with feeding tubes are in the works. 

                           The Head and Neck Cancer Support Program Officers:

• President's Office - Blair Franks & Joe Lapides
• Secretary - Cindy Kline & Annie Franks
• Treasurer - Ida Porter 

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