NHS First: Cancer Survivor Finds Her Voice with Bespoke Artificial Tongue

In a remarkable medical first for the NHS, a cancer survivor who lost most of her tongue due to surgery has been fitted with a custom-made artificial tongue, significantly improving her ability to speak.

Dr. Imogen Brooks, an assistant medical writer residing in Newham, east London, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of head and neck cancer, at the young age of 26. Three years ago, surgery to remove a tumour resulted in the loss of a significant portion of her tongue. While initial reconstructive surgery helped, subsequent radiotherapy caused the tissue to shrink, leaving her with severe speech difficulties.

These challenges had a profound impact on Dr. Brooks' life. She relied on speech assistance technology for phone calls and experienced social isolation, noting that past colleagues avoided speaking to her in person and strangers reacted "in fear" when she spoke.

It was so, so common for people to just smile and even not respond and make up in their head what I had said,

she recalled, highlighting issues with misinformation in medical appointments and workplace problems.

Determined to regain her clear voice, Dr. Brooks researched prosthetic tongues and approached her clinicians at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Her request sparked a collaborative effort, which she likened to "assembling the Avengers," involving a multi-disciplinary team from restorative dentistry, including doctors, and laboratory technicians.

Over several months, the team, led by Carolyn Doughty, an advanced specialist speech and language therapist, and Michael Brown, a dental technician at Guy's Hospital, developed the innovative prosthetic. They crafted a U-shaped frame from cobalt chrome that clips onto Dr. Brooks' bottom teeth, featuring a fixed silicone tongue meticulously tailored to her needs.

Brown noted,

We'd never made something like this before, but our team loves a challenge. There was a lot of trial and error... It has been so satisfying to have worked with Imogen through this.

After only three days of use, Dr. Brooks noticed significant improvements in her speech, fully adapting to the prosthetic within two weeks. This breakthrough enabled her to pass an oral exam for her doctorate in skin disease therapies at King's College London, a testament to the profound impact of her bespoke tongue.

Ms. Doughty believes this pioneering achievement marks the first time such a prosthetic has been made on the NHS, offering immense hope for others facing similar challenges.

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