Sixteen year old Ketura Malvosin is desperate for medical care, but not because of the recent earthquake that has devastated her home country. She has a tumor growing out of her upper jaw that is so big that it has broken her teeth and made her unable to eat and barely able to drink. In the last six months she has lost fifty pounds and may die of starvation and dehydration if she doesn’t have the tumor removed soon.
Tumors on this scale are quite rare, though sever other enormous facial tumors have been noted in Haiti in the last few years. Eric Dierks, MD, an oral surgeon in Portland Oregon notes that “It is very uncommon for tumors to get that large in [industrialized] countries. However, in under-developed parts of the world, tumors can grow to ridiculous sizes. If the tumors grow painlessly, people often just live with them.”
Ketura, however, can’t wait much longer. American doctors on site in Haiti have reported that her tumor is likely cancerous and may require radiation as well as surgery to treat. Most malignant facial tumors are a result of the combined effects of smoking and alcohol consumption, though the tumors, especially benign versions, can also be the result of genetics. Some are caused by polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, a disease that causes deforming growths of bone and tissue. Unless such a growth interferes eating and jaw function, as Ketura’s does, patients can live with them indefinitely. Unfortunately, in a country where earthquake victims are taking priority, getting medical care for Ketura is challenging.
Ketura is currently waiting in a displacement camp in Haiti with her baby daughter, hoping for transport to the United States for treatment.
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