Scott Pansky is a throat cancer survivor who was diagnosed with HPV+ tonsillar papillary squamous cell carcinoma in July 2025 and completed treatment in December of that year. Although his treatment and recovery were challenging, Scott considers himself fortunate and is now passionate about helping others facing a similar journey.
Scott and his wife, Yovita, are blessed with three beautiful daughters. Their world was turned upside down several times in 2025. In May, his father passed away on his 93rd birthday. While cleaning out his father’s home, Scott began experiencing significant back pain that required physical therapy. In early July, he started having nosebleeds. Because Scott had been living with atrial fibrillation for several years, he knew that unexplained bleeding needed to be evaluated, so he made an appointment with his ENT.
During the examination, Scott’s ENT noticed that while his nose had healed, his left tonsil was four times larger than his right. When asked how long it had been that way, Scott realized he had never noticed the difference. His ENT was immediately concerned that it could be cancer and recommended a biopsy.
The initial biopsy came back negative. After Scott experienced another nosebleed, however, he remained concerned and went back to his ENT who asked him to take an MRI of his tonsil. Immediately after his MRI process, his tonsil ruptured, requiring hospitalization. Doctors performed a deeper biopsy, had to give him a blood transfusion and sealed the tonsil. This time, the results confirmed what Scott and his doctors had feared: HPV+ throat cancer.
Scott and Yovita sought treatment recommendations from Cedars-Sinai, City of Hope and UCLA. After meeting with several medical teams, they chose UCLA for his treatment.
Scott began treatment in October 2025, undergoing 33 radiation treatments and six rounds of chemotherapy. The journey was rigorous. His first chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, damaged his kidneys, so his treatment was changed to Taxol. During his third and fourth treatments, Scott experienced anaphylactic reactions. Managing his pain was also challenging because he learned he was allergic to morphine, requiring his care team to find alternative medications. Following treatment, Scott developed shingles.
Throughout treatment, Scott struggled to drink enough water and consume the nutritional formula he needed to maintain his weight. He received home hydration every weekend and ultimately lost nearly 100 pounds. He then received physical therapy for lymphedema and trismus.
Through it all, Scott credits his palliative care team with helping him stay focused on taking things one step at a time. They reminded him to celebrate the baby steps and, perhaps most importantly, to give himself grace.
Six months later, Scott was eating solid foods again and drinking normally. He regained nearly 20 pounds and is determined to use his experience to help others who may face a similar journey.
His most recent scans showed a few areas of concern that his doctors believe were still related to the effects of his radiation treatment. Scott also underwent a DNA test that initially showed a marker level of 298. On his most recent test, that number had dropped to zero.
Today, Scott left his previous employment after 25 years and started a new consulting company. He is grateful to be moving forward and hopes that by sharing his story, he can offer encouragement, understanding and hope to others who are navigating the head and neck cancer journey.
