Robert was 52 when he was diagnosed with advanced HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx.
His cancer was found after months of symptoms that were first put down to allergies. By the time he reached specialist care, Robert had already experienced a sore throat, coughing up blood, hearing problems in one ear, and a hard mass on the side of his tongue.
His story is a reminder of why persistent symptoms should never be ignored, why second opinions matter, and why HPV vaccination is so important.
It is also a reminder that life after cancer treatment can still be extremely hard.
“I knew something was wrong”
Robert first noticed something was not right while he was at work. He had begun walking strangely, drifting to one side. Soon after, he developed a sore throat and started coughing and spitting up blood.
Then his left ear began to feel blocked. At night, he felt as though a mass was pressing over his eardrum. Eventually, he lost hearing in that ear.
He went to urgent care, but was told it was likely allergies. Later, during a routine physical, he was again told he was healthy and that allergies were probably the problem.
But Robert knew his body. He could feel a hard mass on the left side of his tongue. As the symptoms got worse, he asked his wife to look inside his mouth with a torch.
What she saw frightened them both.
His tonsil appeared swollen and damaged, with open sores. Robert searched online that night and feared the worst. He made an appointment with an ENT specialist.
Getting the diagnosis
The ENT doctor examined Robert and quickly ordered a biopsy.
Robert was told he had cancer. At first, he was reassured that it was a “good cancer” and that a few rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy would sort it.
Robert and his family wanted a second opinion.
At Duke Cancer Institute, further tests confirmed the diagnosis: advanced HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. In simple terms, Robert had an HPV-related throat cancer affecting the area at the back of the throat.
It was not a “good cancer”. It was serious, frightening and life-changing.
Treatment was brutal
Robert was offered surgery or chemoradiotherapy. He chose seven weeks of intensive radiotherapy, with chemotherapy given alongside it.
At first, treatment seemed manageable. But by the second week, the effects were beginning to build. By the third week, radiotherapy was taking a heavy toll.
Robert lost his appetite. His throat became extremely painful. Vomiting felt like acid scraping over open wounds. He was later admitted to hospital several times with complications linked to treatment, including malnutrition, mucositis, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, neutropenia and severe reflux.
Near the end of treatment, Robert was often being taken to hospital for intravenous fluids or further care.
Recovery was not the end of the story
After treatment, Robert had lost around 50 pounds. His weight dropped to 137 pounds.
He struggled to eat. He had panic attacks. His mouth and tongue were painful. Eventually, he needed a feeding tube through his nose into his stomach.
He also returned to work before he was truly ready. At one point he was taking strong painkillers every day just to cope and to try to eat. He remembers crying on the way back to work after lunch because his mouth hurt so badly.
An infected sore on his tongue later led to hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Robert had 70 “dives” in total, twice a day for 35 days. The treatment helped save part of his tongue.
The life after cancer
When people hear that someone has survived cancer, they can sometimes think the story is over.
For Robert, it was not.
In recent years, life after treatment has meant constant appointments, hospital visits and new complications linked to the long-term effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Since November, Robert has been admitted to hospital twice with aspiration pneumonia. This can happen when food, drink, saliva or stomach contents enter the lungs. For someone already dealing with swallowing problems after throat cancer treatment, eating can become a daily worry.
He has also recently been in hospital with colitis and continues to deal with stomach problems, swallowing difficulties, eating problems, breathing issues and the impact of treatment on his mouth and teeth.
His diary can be filled with medical appointments: oncology, pulmonology, gastroenterology and dentistry. His oncologist now mainly sees him for yearly cancer follow-up, but the wider after-effects of treatment continue to shape his life.
Robert has also been told he has spots on his lungs and “tree-in-bud” changes seen on lung scans. These lung issues can make breathing difficult at times and add another layer of worry.
This is the part of cancer that is often less visible.
The treatment may save your life, but it can leave damage behind. For some people, recovery is not a straight line. It is a long road of hospital appointments, tests, infections, side effects and trying to adjust to a body that no longer works the way it used to.
Robert is clear that he is grateful to be alive. He is not complaining. But he also wants people to understand the truth.
Beating cancer does not always mean life goes back to normal.
As Robert puts it, he is happy to be alive — but sometimes it is incredibly hard.
Living with the long-term effects
Robert became cancer free and was able to gain weight and return to work, but life after treatment still carries consequences.
He lives with dry mouth, tinnitus, “chemo brain” and other long-term effects. He has to think carefully about what he eats because of the risk of aspiration. Swallowing, eating, talking and breathing can all be affected.
These are not small things. They affect ordinary life, long after the cancer treatment has finished.
Robert’s story matters because it shows the full picture. Throat cancer treatment can save lives, but it can also leave people with lifelong physical and emotional consequences.
Why Robert’s story still matters
HPV is very common. Most people who get HPV will never develop cancer. In many cases, the body clears the virus naturally. But some high-risk types of HPV can persist and are linked to cancers, including some cancers of the mouth and throat.
The HPV vaccine helps reduce the risk of infection with the types of HPV that can lead to cancer.
Robert’s experience is exactly why prevention and earlier diagnosis matter.
Earlier diagnosis can mean more treatment options, a better chance of successful treatment, and in some cases less intensive treatment. It may also reduce the risk of some of the long-term damage that can follow advanced cancer treatment.
The message is not to frighten people. It is to make people take symptoms seriously.
Know the signs
Get checked if you have symptoms that do not go away, including:
- a persistent sore throat
- difficulty swallowing
- a lump in the neck
- ear pain or hearing changes on one side
- coughing up blood
- unexplained weight loss
- a change in voice
- mouth or throat ulcers that do not heal
Most symptoms will not be cancer. But if something does not feel right, trust your instincts and speak to a healthcare professional.
If in doubt, get checked out.
