{"id":426725,"date":"2026-09-05T02:48:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T02:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/426725\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T02:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T02:48:25","slug":"anaplastic-thyroid-cancer-survivor-finds-perfect-fit-at-ut-md-anderson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/426725\/","title":{"rendered":"Anaplastic thyroid cancer survivor finds perfect fit at UT MD Anderson"},"content":{"rendered":"

In June 2021, Leslie Mellinger was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer<\/a>, the rarest and most aggressive type of thyroid cancer<\/a>. She was told to go straight to UT MD Anderson.<\/p>\n

Recently, she celebrated five years with no evidence of disease<\/a>. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for UT MD Anderson, I wouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not the place anyone chooses to end up in, but it\u2019s truly the very best place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Common symptom leads to thyroid cancer diagnosis<\/p>\n

Leslie was putting on makeup one day when she felt a lump in her neck<\/a>. She thought it might be swollen lymph nodes<\/a> from a sinus infection, so her doctor prescribed antibiotics<\/a>. After 10 days of no change, she had an ultrasound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technician said it was my thyroid,\u201d recalls Leslie, who was 57 at the time.<\/p>\n

She visited a local surgeon in Lubbock, Texas, who agreed it was a thyroid issue and ordered a biopsy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a call from her three days later saying that she contacted UT MD Anderson and wanted me to go to there,\u2019\u201d says Leslie. \u201cI thought, \u2018What\u2019s going on? Is it that bad?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When Leslie and her husband, Glenn, went to the surgeon\u2019s office the next day, the doctor was in tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said I had stage 4 anaplastic thyroid cancer, and she\u2019d consulted with a local ENT who didn\u2019t even want to see it,\u201d says Leslie, who asked her doctor how long she\u2019d live. \u201cShe told me I had three months, if I even made it home from UT MD Anderson.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Not willing to accept that fate, the couple returned home and called their two adult sons. One drove down with his family that day.<\/p>\n

He and Glenn started researching anaplastic thyroid cancer treatment at UT MD Anderson and learned how quickly the disease grows and spreads.<\/p>\n

That evening, Leslie received a call from Julia Diersing, physician assistant to head and neck surgeon Mark Zafereo, M.D.<\/a>, in UT MD Anderson\u2019s Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Diersing asked if she could be in Houston the next day. \u201c\u2018I\u2019ll be there,\u2019\u201d Leslie recalls telling her.<\/p>\n

Treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer<\/p>\n

Leslie\u2019s first appointment was on June 10, 2021. Within the first few days, she had scans, bloodwork and another biopsy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from a small town, so UT MD Anderson was like a whole other world to me,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThe valet could tell I was overwhelmed, so he walked me inside and showed me where to go. Staff members stopped me in the hall and asked if I was doing OK, or if they could help show me where to go. Everyone was so kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

She met Zafereo and oncologic endocrinologist Maria Cabanillas, M.D.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe loved that Dr. Zafereo wore cowboy boots with his scrubs,\u201d recalls Leslie. \u201cAnd I remember Dr. Cabanillas told me, \u2018You\u2019re going to get through this.\u2019 That was reassuring and comforting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors couldn\u2019t definitively classify whether the cancer was anaplastic thyroid cancer or sarcoma<\/a>, based on pathology<\/a> from the two biopsies. So, the plan was to do surgery<\/a> to remove the 7.5 cm tumor on Leslie\u2019s right thyroid. Once they could confirm the type of cancer, she\u2019d receive additional treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On June 16, 2021, Zafereo performed a complete thyroidectomy with a central and right neck dissection. Three of the 25 lymph nodes that were removed were cancerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore my surgery, I was told I might need a trach<\/a> and a feeding tube<\/a>,\u201d she says. \u201cBut when I woke up in the recovery room, it took me a while to realize that I didn\u2019t have either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zafereo explained that after removing Leslie\u2019s thyroid, the whole tumor just came off. He didn\u2019t have to touch her esophagus or voice box. Her official diagnosis was stage 4B anaplastic thyroid cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a miracle,\u201d Leslie recalls Glenn telling her after her surgery. \u201cI went from being told I may not survive past three months to having a successful surgery with no need for a trach or feeding tube.\u201d<\/p>\n

Managing thyroid cancer treatment side effects<\/p>\n

Molecular testing of the tumor didn\u2019t show a mutation that could be treated with targeted therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, Leslie had chemoradiation<\/a>. This consisted of six weeks of radiation therapy<\/a> under the guidance of radiation oncologist Brandon Gunn, M.D.<\/a>, as well as five weeks of intravenous chemotherapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The radiation caused skin irritation in her throat and made swallowing difficult<\/a>. Her voice also became a little raspy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy radiation team was amazing,\u201d she says. \u201cI received a little booklet that told me what to expect from radiation. It was very helpful. I was also prescribed medication for my skin and a special mouthwash to use.\u201d<\/p>\n

She still has some trouble swallowing at times, so she always keeps a drink and cough drops close by.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI did chemo once a week. It made me very sick, but it was a means to an end, and it helped get me to where I am today,\u201d she says. \u201cMy chemo nurse, Jancy John, shared the most beautiful prayer with me and Glenn. That helped so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, the immunotherapy<\/a> drug pembrolizumab was showing promise when used as adjuvant treatment for stage 4B anaplastic thyroid cancer.<\/p>\n

Leslie discussed this treatment option with her care team to potentially increase survival and lower the chance for recurrence<\/a>. She began getting pembrolizumab infusions locally every six weeks under Cabanillas\u2019 guidance. She completed two years of immunotherapy on Jan. 9, 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only side effects I had from immunotherapy<\/a> were minor joint issues in my hands and itching in my ankles and wrists,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was the easiest part of my treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because she no longer has a thyroid, Leslie takes an oral synthetic thyroid hormone called levothyroxine daily. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Living an even greater life than before<\/p>\n

Shortly after her cancer diagnosis<\/a>, Leslie retired from being a schoolteacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlenn and I decided we\u2019re going to live life finally,\u201d says Leslie, who recently learned how to ride a horse.<\/p>\n

That includes attending country music concerts and, most recently, a six-day family cruise to celebrate Leslie reaching five years with no evidence of disease.<\/p>\n

She returns to UT MD Anderson every six months and gets bloodwork every six weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still get some scanxiety<\/a>, but our goal is to do something non-cancer related when we come to UT MD Anderson,\u201d she says. \u201cWe used to buy a new pair of cowboy boots every time I got a clear scan.\u201d<\/p>\n

During treatment, Leslie was matched with a survivor in Colorado through myCancerConnection<\/a>, UT MD Anderson\u2019s one-on-one cancer support community. They\u2019ve become close friends, and their families have visited each other. She also recently connected to a patient undergoing treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer through myCancerConnection.<\/p>\n

Leslie\u2019s kids have moved closer, and she\u2019s expecting another grandbaby soon. Every day, she visits her mother with Alzheimer\u2019s disease. And she loves spending time with her dogs, Faith and Hank.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all because of UT MD Anderson that I\u2019m still here,\u201d she says. \u201cI thank God for every person there. I had a great life before, but now I have an even greater life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online<\/a> or call 1-877-632-6789.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In June 2021, Leslie Mellinger was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, the rarest and most aggressive type of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[148400,1145,56,58,57,122483,75671,1148,2822,2623],"class_list":["post-426725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-anaplastic-thyroid-cancer","tag-caregivers","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-mycancerconnection","tag-patient-caregiver-stories","tag-patients","tag-survivors","tag-thyroid-cancer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}