Gabonese patient finds solution to giant jaw tumor in Türkiye

By Elif Kucuk

ISTANBUL (AA) - Gabonese 23-year-old Yamayong Yamayong, who has been battling an advanced-stage jawbone tumor since 2015, resembling a second head on his neck, was relieved through a 10-hour operation in Türkiye.

The tumor in the jaw area of Yamayong, who lives in the Central African country of Gabon, first manifested itself as swelling in 2015.

The young patient sought help from numerous healthcare institutions in his country to get rid of this growing mass over time, but the tumor could not be treated.

Over the years, Yamayong's tumor descended below his jaw and reached the size of a head in the neck area.

- His lips deformed, his teeth fell out, and speaking became difficult

Yamayong faced challenges in controlling saliva, breathing, and speaking due to deformed lips, lost teeth, and the inability to close the mouth, making the consumption of solid foods impossible.

He experienced not only physical distress caused by the tumor but also psychological breakdown due to the changes in his appearance it brought about.

Recommended by local doctors, Yamayong sought a final solution in Türkiye, where he underwent surgery performed by Prof. Dr. Ozan Seymen Sezen and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sertan Sahin, specialists in head and neck surgery.

Sezen led the surgery, completely removing Yamayong's 15cm benign tumor. A synthetic jawbone was crafted through tissue grafting. Thanks to the successful operation by Turkish doctors, the Gabonese patient not only regained his health but also returned home with renewed self-confidence.

- 'Fine craftsmanship' performed in region where vital nerves and blood vessels pass

Sezen told Anadolu that these lengthy surgeries require "careful planning and teamwork."

He noted the patient, despite a major operation, had minimal pain and a speedy recovery, returning to normal life within 7 to 10 days.

Sezen mentioned the complexity of the neck, jaw, and head anatomy, emphasizing that these surgeries are challenging for doctors due to the presence of vital nerves and blood vessels in these areas.

Another challenge in the operation is repairing the tumor-affected area, as the transplanted tissues must function during and after the procedure without dying, he added.

- Improved quality of life expected in a year after surgery

“This kind of neck tumors treatment is very hard because of its regions, and anatomic difficulties. That is why we have to be very careful about some big vessels big nerves and important structures. For that reason, this operation takes nearly 10 hours, we can divide this time into 2,” Sezen said.

“The first part take is the take out the tumor very difficult. After that we prepare a new tissue to recover, and reconstruct this defect. For that reason, it takes time but we can achieve this hard problem successfully. In the end the result was very successful,” he added.

He also stressed that “If this patient hasn’t had this kind of operation, this mass will continue to grow and after this process, the operation will be more difficult the defect will be bigger… and treatment will be not as successful as we achieved in this patient.”

Sezen said that “After we charged the patient from the hospital we examined him in two or three days later in our office. In this visit we saw he can easily swallow, speak and most importantly of these, he can make easily eye contact, and his self-confidence was very good. The healing was very good. After this treatment in one year, he can speak well, he can swallow or eat everything easily and his appearance will be better than this. “

- ‘Türkiye serving humanity’

Sezen noted that in many countries, including African nations and Turkish Republics, accessing and resolving health issues is not as easily achievable for many people.

“We are very happy to service all over the world patients,” he said.

He highlighted the difficulty in accessing healthcare in many developed European countries compared to the ease in Türkiye.

“In our normal life we face some problems in our health system. But although this kind of small things our health system is very good. We understand more recently this kind of good things with health tourism. There is a lot of people in all around the world can’t reach health system,” he added.

“We face a lot of though patients all around the world and we make a lot of treatment to them easily,” he stressed.

- Don't ignore small neck swellings; they may be significant

Dr. Sertan Sahin explained Anadolu that to minimize the risk of tumor recurrence in Yamayong, they removed the masses with wide margins and closely monitored the patient.

He mentioned that they conduct follow-up meetings with patients after 6 months, perform imaging, and track for any recurrence issues. Highlighting the case of Yamayong, Sahin emphasized the importance of not overlooking persistent wounds in the tongue, lips, and palate.

He warned against neglecting small neck swellings, stating that it is essential to consult a specialist and promptly identify the issue in such cases.

- Anxiety of 'Will I be okay?' gave way to happiness

Gabonese Yamayong stated that the doctors he consulted in his country suggested a prosthesis as a solution for the tumor on his jaw.

Yamayong, stating that he was advised to seek treatment in Türkiye when his illness could not be addressed, mentioned that he came here with the assistance of his government.

He expressed his initial concerns, believing that after the surgery, he would be unable to eat and face significant difficulty in speaking.

However, he noted that the situation did not turn out as he feared.​​​​​​​

"Before the surgery, I constantly thought, 'Will I be okay or not?' After the surgery, I had some pain, but they gave me painkillers, and that issue was resolved. Before the surgery, I could eat, but it was very difficult, and I experienced pain. I had to make an effort while eating. I mostly consumed liquid food and couldn't eat hard, meat-like dishes. Saliva no longer drips, unlike before. Previously, I had saliva issues while speaking, but now I can express myself very well. I am very happy and thankful,” he said.