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Japanese singer and TV personality Chiemi Hori, 52, announced that she has advanced oral cancer in a blog post on Tuesday. According to the post, Hori found a small mouth ulcer on the back of her tongue, and received medication and vitamin pills at a hospital last summer. The pain and itching in her mouth grew worse even after she underwent laser surgery at a local hospital, and the blisters eventually spread to the left side of her tongue, she posted.
At the beginning of this year, Hori felt a sharp pain on the left side of her tongue that made it difficult to eat and speak. She said she would also wake up in the middle of the night due to the pain.
On Jan 21, Hori went to a university hospital and was told that there was a high chance she had cancer. She was admitted to the hospital for medical examination.
The results of the examination were made available on Feb 4, and Hori was diagnosed with stage 4 oral cavity cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes in her neck.
Hori checked into hospital on Tuesday and will have surgery on Friday.
© Japan Today
18 Comments
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Ah_so
Very sad. And tgere were months in which it could have been caught early before it spread to her lymph nodes.
Patrick Glass
I was diagnosed with tongue cancer (stage 4) almost 3 years ago. It had spread to a lymph node above my right chin (secondary lesion.) I too, was misdiagnosed by an ENT doctor that completely ignored the swollen lymph node which he absolutely shouldn't have done. Four months later, I was properly diagnosed at a university hospital where the doctors finally found the primary lesion which was deep at the base of my tongue. BTW, I had no pain. I was not treated with surgery, but radiation and chemo. The 32 radiation treatments was the worst! I couldn't eat for 6 months because of the pain when trying to swallow, instead feeding myself with an implanted stomach tube. The treatment was absolutely brutal - I lost 10 kilos. I look back on it now and really don't know how I survived the treatment. BTW, I never smoked or used tobacco in any form.
I lost most of my salivary glands from the radiation as well as taste buds, the salivary glands will never be functional again, but the taste buds have mostly come back. Today, I feel great and so far, my 6th monthly checkups are good. The radiation literally melted the cancer off my tongue and today the tissue in that area looks completely normal. Do I worry that some cancer cells could have traveled somewhere else in my body? Sure, but I don't obsess over it. If I hadn't gotten treated when I did, I would be dead by now.
oldman_13
Wow that's terrible. I wonder what would have happened if they had caught it sooner.
Maria
Why did you post your opinion? We don't need to hear from you.
She gave a brief and informative account of how the cancer was initially missed and finally detected. This is potentially life-saving information for others.JeffLee
From the article, it sounds like she was misdiagnosed, as it took 5 months or so before the doctors finally figured out it was cancer. Scary.
Roger R.
Stage 4 Oral Cancer: About 30% of oral and oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed at this stage. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the overall 5-year survival rate is 64%. If the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body, the overall 5-year survival rate is 39%.
Toasted Heretic
Actually, we do. When people with high profiles talk about cancer, it can give hope to other people suffering. It creates empathy and also others might be compelled to check their own health status.
It can be only a good thing to share.
Kuro
@Brian
it is not terminal, it would be if it spread further. This, unfortunatly, they probably don't know for now. It now needs to be removed and hope 1) it reacts to treatment 2) it hasn't spread further 3) they manage to remove everything (once they do it). She still has a chance, but it is definitely terrible news for her and her family.
Brian Wheway
"Hori was diagnosed with stage 4 oral cavity cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes in her neck." Oh dear! I don't know much about cancer, if its in her nymph nodes, is this now terminal? poor woman, any body in her situation will not require any laxatives.
Doc Smith
This saddens me greatly. I remember when she first started her music career. I pray God heals her.
Patricia Yarrow
Or, on further thought, was she in an environment (night clubs, etc.) where she constantly inhaled secondary smoke?
Patricia Yarrow
These reports delibrately and always fail to include the vital contributing factor: DID SHE SMOKE?
robotxparty
Why do these people feel the need to post every last waking detail of their life. Just tell your friends and family in private - we don't all need to know everything.