Rebuilding her jaw and her life, one operation at a time

Big team of doctors came together to tackle cancer survivor's challenging case

- Zhaki Abdullah

Ms Gladys Leow was just 18 when she discovered that a lump on her neck—which resurfaced even after being removed and found to be benign—was liposarcoma, a rare cancer that develops from fat cells and has a high risk of recurrence.

"I was overwhelmed because I really didn't know what was going on at such a young age," said Ms Leow, who is now 34. "I broke down and cried."

Liposarcoma is a type of sarcoma, a group of cancers that start in the bones and soft tissues. It is a rare cancer that develops from fat cells, with a 2017 report suggesting that about 375,000 people worldwide were affected.

Between 2012 and 2021, the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) treated about 1,700 cases of sarcoma, including liposarcoma.

Potentially life-threatening, liposarcoma is characterized by a persistent, growing lump, pain and swelling, with the cancer in the jaw considered exceedingly rare.

Between 2007 and 2014, Ms Leow underwent several operations and radiation therapy to remove the tumors, which recurred incessantly as a result of the liposarcoma.

Though she was initially diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer in 2007, it progressed to Stage 3 when it recurred in 2012.

The treatments impacted her jaw, affecting her facial appearance as well.

Her mandible, or lower jaw, was severely deviated to the right while her maxilla, or upper jaw, had collapsed. She was despondent.

"I couldn't eat well, I couldn't bite well, I couldn't talk well," she said.

She approached six different surgeons to reconstruct her jaw, but all turned her down due to the complexity of her case.

But a ray of light came when Dr Rahul Harshad Nagadia, a senior consultant with the head and neck surgery department at NCCS, was assigned to take care of her, following her cancer treatments after her initial surgeon retired.