Mayo Clinic team performs first-documented larynx transplant for a person with larynx cancer
Larynx transplant overview
In a larynx transplant, multiple tissue components are transplanted. It’s an example of vascularized composite allograft transplantation, or VCA transplant. This type of transplant can include the larynx, pharynx, esophagus, trachea, thyroid and parathyroid glands, neurovascular structures, and skin.
Narrator: The procedure is actually a composite neck transplant. Along with the larynx, the team transplanted nearby organs and tissue, including the thyroid gland, pea size parathyroid glands, pharynx, also known as the throat, upper esophagus, upper trachea, and skin. It's a surgery with special challenges that is done through the strict human protection guidelines of a clinical trial.
The first-documented larynx transplant in a person with larynx cancer was performed in 2024 by the larynx and trachea transplant team of Mayo Clinic. This was the third-documented larynx transplant in the United States. Larynx transplant is an example of vascularized composite allograft transplant, or VCA transplant. With this method, multiple tissue components are transplanted. These components can include the larynx, also called the voice box, the pharynx, esophagus, skin, thyroid and parathyroid glands, neurovascular structures, and the trachea, also called the windpipe.
Larynx transplant is a promising option to restore quality-of-life in people with severe laryngeal dysfunction or a laryngectomy.
Our program
Throat anatomy
Throat anatomy
The throat includes the esophagus, trachea, larynx, tonsils and epiglottis.
Trachea and larynx transplant
Trachea and larynx transplant
A combined larynx and trachea transplant may restore function for people with a damaged larynx and trachea.
The Mayo Clinic Larynx and Trachea Transplant Program was established in 2016 and is located on the clinic’s campus in Arizona. The program helps people who have damage to or have lost their larynx or trachea due to cancer, disease or trauma.
The larynx is a segment of the respiratory tract located in the neck. It's responsible for protecting the airway, swallowing and producing speech. Previously, people who lost their larynx or trachea due to disease or trauma had no traditional reconstructive option that could restore all vital functions.
Now people can explore this new transplant option that offers hope of regaining the ability to breathe through the mouth, swallow normally and speak. Larynx and trachea transplants are performed in the Department of Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery by doctors with specific interests and advanced training in reconstructive surgical care of people with serious conditions of the larynx and trachea. The larynx and trachea transplant team works closely with the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center, which oversees the medical care of transplant recipients, including their need for medicines that suppress the immune system.
A team-based approach
Our experts use a multidisciplinary approach to treat your throat condition that helps preserve and restore function. They work together to coordinate and customize your care.
- Surgical director, who is a laryngeal surgeon
- Medical director, who is a transplant doctor
- Transplant coordinator/operations manager
- Head and neck reconstructive surgeon
- Allied health professionals in social work, psychology, dietetics, speech-language pathology, nursing and pharmacy
- Quality and compliance coordinator
- Administrator
- Research coordinator
- Research scientist
- Statistician
For your follow-up care, you may be seen in the Swallowing Clinic, where board-certified speech and language pathologists help with speaking and swallowing.
Larynx and Trachea Transplant Program team
- David G. Lott, M.D.
- Girish K. Mour, M.D.
- Elizabeth H. Stearns, P.A.-C., M.S., M.B.A.
- Danielle N. Grandjean
- Stephanie R. Cotton, Ph.D.
- Michael L. Hinni, M.D.
- Brittany E. Howard, M.D.
- Brent A. Chang, M.D.
- Payam Entezami, M.D., M.S.
- Melissa Zheng, M.D.
- Kris K. Morrison, M.H.A.
- Candace M. Mansour, R.N., C.C.T.C., PCCN
Expertise and rankings
The Larynx and Trachea Transplant Program is a national and international referral center for complex airway reconstruction procedures.
The Department of Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery at Mayo Clinic provides a full range of medical and surgical services for people with head and neck disorders and diseases, including the most complex airway, voice and swallowing disorders. Your transplant will be done by a surgeon certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery.
Mayo Clinic in Arizona is the No. 1 hospital in Arizona for 11 consecutive years. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, is ranked among the Best Hospitals for digestive disorders by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for ear, nose and throat and cancer care by U.S. News & World Report.
Research and innovation
Larynx and trachea transplant procedures were made possible through Mayo Clinic's research into the use of pioneering processes. Our physician-scientists and researchers are committed to developing better treatments for people with disorders of the larynx and trachea. At the Head and Neck Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, the team has expertise in regenerative biotherapeutics, which led to the first in-human 3D-molded larynx implant.
Recently, the larynx and trachea transplant team in Arizona performed the first larynx transplant at Mayo Clinic. This is a major step forward in making the procedure a viable treatment option for more people. This was the first larynx transplant completed in a clinical trial setting. The clinical trial allows Mayo Clinic to conduct a rigorous scientific investigation to determine the safety and efficacy of a total laryngeal transplant as a trusted treatment option for people.
Learn more about the laboratory for Head and Neck Regenerative Medicine.
Our doctors are active in larynx and trachea transplant and regenerative biotherapeutic research to develop new solutions that improve outcomes. See a list of publications about larynx and trachea transplant by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.
Clinical trials
Below are current clinical trials.
A study to optimize patient selection and outcomes in laryngeal vascular composite allograft transplantation
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Arizona