New Vocal Cord Cancer Treatment

A new treatment for vocal cord cancer developed by Dr. Steven Zeitels and collaborators at the Massachusetts General Hospital has been the subject of several media reports in the US and abroad. The breakthrough was reported by Dr. Timothy Johnson on ABC World News, and was featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio.

Dr. Zeitels, the Eugene B. Casey Professor of Laryngeal Surgery and the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital has been innovating vocal cord treatment for precancerous dysplasia and cancer for the past 20 years. This work has culminated in a new laser treatment for cancer, which has produced the best results to date.

Innovators – Voice Box Hero

A unique article was done in Boston Magazine chronicling Dr. Zeitels' educational and professional career as a surgical innovator.

A central theme of this piece was the exceptional care Zeitels provides for his patients which has led to their unparalleled appreciation and loyalty.

After being interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show on October 19, 2007, Steven Tyler and Dr. Steven Zeitels were featured on Sunday, October 21, on the National Geographic Channel (NGC), which presented the "Incredible Human Machine," This two-hour documentary is a journey through an ordinary and extraordinary day-in-the-life of the human machine. With stunning high-definition footage, radical scientific advances and powerful firsthand accounts, Incredible Human Machine plunged deep into the routine marvels of the human body.

Dick Vitale, who was recently accepted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame for being its premier broadcaster, underwent vocal cord surgery by Dr. Zeitels for precancerous dysplasia. Mr. Vitale was brought to Dr. Zeitels by his Otolaryngologist in Florida, Dr. Daniel Deems, because of the ground-breaking advancements by the MGH team in restoring voices, especially in those patients with precancerous and malignant vocal cord lesions. Mr. Vitale's treatment has been very successful and recently returned to announce the Duke - North Carolina game.

Rock's best laser light show is in Steven Tyler's throat

(Reprinted with permission from The Wall Street Journal)
By Zachary M. Seward
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Boston – STEVEN TYLER, the rock star and lead singer for Aerosmith, lay on an operating table at Massachusetts General Hospital in March, a thin laser snaking through his iconic mouth and down into his legendary pipes.

Nearly six months into a North American tour, a popped blood vessel on Mr. Tyler's right vocal cord had reduced his singing voice to a hoarse shrill and forced Aerosmith to cancel all 20 of its remaining concerts. The injury was a potential disaster for Mr. Tyler, whose hot-blooded, high-pitched tones have defined his 33-year career. Even the slightest tweak in his throat – the stiffening of a vocal cord or a change in its vibration – could have forever altered the sound of "Walk This Way," his signature tune.