Jeff Voight’s cancer story began in 2022 when the 59-year-old Milwaukee man began to snore at night. His wife, Leslie, encouraged him to seek medical attention. He was diagnosed with sleep apnea and started using a CPAP machine. But when Jeff started having severe throat and ear pain, his doctors suspected a more complicated problem. They discovered a tumor near the back of his tongue. A biopsy confirmed Jeff had pharyngeal cancer, or cancer of the throat.
“From that moment, my life changed,” Jeff said.
His doctors referred him to the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Head and Neck Cancer Program team.
Understanding Pharyngeal Cancer and Its Causes
“While most throat cancers are related to smoking, pharyngeal cancer is increasingly linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which also causes cervical cancer, and to the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis,” said Musaddiq Awan, MD, the radiation oncologist and MCW faculty member who oversaw Jeff’s care.
Choosing Chemoradiation Over Surgery
Jeff was dealing with widespread cancer that affected not only his throat, but also his voice box and tongue. Surgery would have left him unable to speak, swallow or eat. Instead, Jeff’s care team prescribed an intensive course of chemoradiation — including seven weeks of daily radiation therapy with intravenous chemotherapy every three weeks.
The Rigors of Radiation and Chemotherapy
“Radiation therapy is the main treatment, and chemotherapy makes radiation more effective,” Dr. Awan said. “Many patients have good results with radiation alone, but chemotherapy offers another 10% to 15% of patients a good outcome.”
Still, radiation therapy was tough. Jeff lost his sense of taste and developed dental cavities. He had sunburn-like skin irritation, and kidney and thyroid problems have become chronic. But his care team was ready with instructions to manage short- and long-term side effects as much as possible.
“My team of doctors, nurses and technicians told me what to do to a T, from putting lotion on to drinking more water,” Jeff said. “I never drank so much water.”
Chemotherapy wasn’t easy, either. Only a third of patients can complete all three chemotherapy treatments, and Jeff was one of them. He avoided a feeding tube, a common complication.
The Precision and Art of Radiation Therapy
“Our team’s extensive experience in treating head and neck cancers means every patient gets an individualized treatment plan,” Dr. Awan said. “Radiation therapy is like surgery in its precision, and treatment planning is an art. Everyone has a different type of tumor. It is a balancing act of delivering just the right dose of radiation for each patient, while being mindful of quality-of-life factors.”
The team’s multidisciplinary approach means patients see several specialists throughout treatment, according to Stuart Wong, MD, a medical oncologist and MCW faculty member who specializes in head and neck cancer. Chemotherapy can cause hearing loss, so patients are referred to hearing specialists. Other specially trained therapists help with speech and swallowing difficulties.
“Because our team treats hundreds of patients like Jeff, we anticipate problems before they become more severe and have a wealth of resources to help our patients manage everything from nutrition to pain,” Dr. Wong said. “We are active in research and offer clinical trials if they need more treatment options.”
Strength, Resilience, and Personalized Care
Jeff has been cancer free for two years, and although he still works on speech challenges and needs regular checkups, his prognosis is excellent.
“My care team’s expertise, compassion and unwavering support got me through it,” Jeff said. “I’m grateful. I’ll never forget what they did for me.”
