Mohamed Shahenkari’s cancer journey began in late 2018 when what seemed like a lingering cold refused to go away. A few weeks later, he discovered a lump under his tongue. Following a biopsy, he received a life-changing diagnosis: non-HPV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
He was immediately referred to a local cancer center, where surgery was scheduled shortly after Christmas. During the nine-hour operation, two surgeons reconstructed his tongue and the floor of his mouth using tissue from his wrist. He also underwent a radical neck dissection to remove affected lymph nodes. Because his tongue was so swollen following surgery that he could not breathe through his mouth, he awoke with a tracheostomy. After spending two weeks in the hospital and having the tracheostomy removed, Mohamed returned home to begin his recovery.
Unfortunately, pathology results revealed that the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes, making chemotherapy and radiation necessary. Before treatment could begin, he had to have eight problem teeth removed to reduce the risk of complications from radiation therapy.
Once he recovered from the dental extractions, Mohamed underwent two rounds of cisplatin chemotherapy and 37 radiation treatments. When that phase of treatment was complete, he returned home to heal once again. However, a follow-up PET scan revealed that the cancer had spread to both of his lungs before it could be fully controlled.
His oncologist recognized that he needed more advanced treatment and referred him to a larger cancer center in New York City for a clinical trial.
At the new cancer center, Mohamed was enrolled in a clinical trial studying an immunotherapy drug designed to enhance the effectiveness of an FDA-approved treatment. Because of the seriousness of his condition, the process moved quickly. He received infusions every two weeks for two years and continued the FDA-approved immunotherapy for several additional months after the clinical trial concluded.
This was an extremely tense time because the tumors in my lungs actually continued to grow as I was receiving immunotherapy, Mohamed explained. The tumors died from the inside out, so at first they appeared to be getting larger until the centers began to die. I had to trust my doctors and trust the immunotherapy, hoping I had made the right decision.
Several months into the clinical trial, the treatment began to work. The tumors slowly started dying from the center outward. One area in his upper left lung did not respond to treatment and ultimately required surgery to remove the upper lobe of his left lung.
After nearly four years of battling cancer, Mohamed was finally seeing encouraging progress. The immunotherapy was working in his lungs, and there was no evidence that the cancer had returned to his head and neck.
It was during this time that Mohamed felt a strong desire to give back and support others facing cancer.
I felt incredibly lucky and blessed that I was doing well, and I didn’t want to squander the extra time I had been given, he shared. I became a volunteer peer mentor with Cancer Hope Network, speaking with other cancer patients about my journey and helping them navigate theirs.
He continued, Through Cancer Hope Network, patients are matched with peer mentors who have experienced diagnoses similar to their own. While peer mentors are not medical professionals, we have lived experience with cancer and understand the emotional and practical challenges that come with it. Sometimes what people need most is someone who truly understands – someone who can offer hope, comfort, and a listening ear.
Today, Mohamed is celebrating his seventh year of survivorship and has been declared No Evidence of Disease (NED).
It is an amazing feeling—one I never thought I would live to experience, he said. I’ve been reduced to yearly follow-up appointments, and I’ve taken a much more proactive approach to my health by exercising regularly and following a low-fat, low-sodium, high-protein, high-fiber diet.
Mohamed credits much of his recovery to the unwavering support of his wife, who was his fiancée when his cancer journey began. He is also deeply grateful to his parents, extended family, physicians, nurses, and the countless researchers whose medical advances made his treatment possible.
Finally, he believes his mindset played an important role in his recovery.
Through my study of philosophy and my personal religious beliefs, I believe we are here on Earth to help one another, Mohamed said. That has become my purpose—to help people facing cancer through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I believe this battle is 50% physical and 50% mental and emotional. Medicine continues to make incredible advances in treating the physical disease, but there is still so much we can do to support patients emotionally. Making these resources and support programs accessible to everyone is incredibly important to me.
He added, It wasn’t always easy to stay positive, but I truly believe that maintaining an optimistic outlook helped me keep moving forward and looking toward tomorrow.
