A PET Scan for Tongue Cancer Uncovers Mesothelioma for Augusto V.
In October 2022, Augusto V. visited an ear, nose and throat doctor and mentioned a strange feeling in his neck almost as an afterthought. His doctor ordered a CT scan that same day, which led to a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
Because squamous cell carcinoma can spread, doctors ordered a PET scan of his body. The scan found a mass in Augusto’s left lung, separate from the tongue cancer. Doctors biopsied both areas, and before the lab results came back, a surgeon suspected mesothelioma based on the imaging. The biopsy confirmed pleural mesothelioma. His doctors staged it as stage 3 mesothelioma.
His medical team recommended he see a mesothelioma specialist, and Augusto considered hospitals in Boston, New York and Houston. He chose Houston partly because he wanted his wife, Jackie, to feel comfortable there.
“My wife was going to get lost and besides, it was almost wintertime,” Augusto tells us. “No way I’m putting her through that.”
Family connections helped Augusto get an appointment with Dr. R. Taylor Ripley, a thoracic surgeon and mesothelioma specialist who practiced at Baylor College of Medicine at the time. Augusto says, “He gave me a real sense that he knew what he was doing,. He told me, ‘I know I can help you.’”
Undergoing Surgery for Two Different Cancers
At 69, Augusto first underwent surgery for tongue cancer in December 2022. He left the hospital weak and nearly 10 pounds lighter, so Dr. Ripley delayed his mesothelioma surgery for several weeks to give him time to regain his strength.
In January 2023, Dr. Ripley performed an extrapleural pneumonectomy, removing the pleura, part of Augusto’s left lung, the pericardium and half of his diaphragm. The surgery lasted about 8 hours.
Augusto spent 2 weeks in intensive care afterward and then several more days in a regular hospital room. He and his wife stayed in Houston for about 2 months so his care team could monitor his recovery closely before they returned to Florida.
Dr. Ripley’s care continued after Augusto returned home. He gave Augusto his personal phone number and has answered his calls ever since, including once when Augusto reached out from out of town.
“He gave me his personal number,” Augusto recalls. “He said, ‘Mr. V., you are my patient. Anytime you need to talk to me, you call me.’”
“I take my hat off to him,” he says. “I mean, he saved my life.”
Treatment, Progress and Mesothelioma Recurrence
Augusto returned home to Florida and started 4 rounds of chemotherapy in March 2023, with treatments every 3 weeks. A PET scan in June showed no evidence of disease. He spent the following months in Peru with his wife.
After returning to Houston, a follow-up scan found the mesothelioma had returned. He started immunotherapy with Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab), receiving treatments every other week.
Augusto developed a rash, persistent itching and fatigue. He later experienced fevers that lasted several weeks, requiring a hospital stay. “Everything else went out the window because it was fevers, fevers, fevers,” he says.
Doctors spaced his treatments out to help manage side effects. “The day of the immunotherapy, I’m okay,” Augusto shares. “The third, fourth, fifth and sixth day, I go down.”
His appetite disappears on those days. “I would say, ‘No, I don’t want any chicken soup. I would love a steak,’’” he tells us. “So my wife would run to make a steak and then I say, ‘No, I don’t want any.’”
Augusto Credits Jackie With His Recovery
Augusto credits his wife, Jackie, with getting him through every part of his treatment and recovery. His surgery limits him from lifting more than 5 or 10 pounds, so she’s taken over nearly everything at home.
“She drives for me. She cooks for me. She washes for me. She cleans for me,” he shares. “Nobody else but her is the person who has helped me with mesothelioma.”
Jackie also stayed with Augusto through the long periods of treatment and recovery that followed his surgeries. Her support has remained an important part of how he manages his life while continuing treatment.
Looking Forward With Purpose
Before his diagnosis, Augusto walked more than 6 miles a day along the shoreline near his home in Peru and enjoyed scuba diving in his free time. Treatment has slowed him down considerably and he admits some days it’s hard to find motivation to move much at all.
“I just don’t feel like it,” he says. “That’s what the problem is.”
Augusto is retired and currently splits his time between Florida and Peru while continuing treatment. He hopes to return to Peru permanently once his health allows, along with his old walking routine and scuba diving gear. He looks forward to celebrating his 73rd birthday in October and returning to the activities he enjoyed before his diagnosis.
“I have all the equipment. I have a compressor and everything else in Peru, and I live right by the beach. I need to use it, and I’m going to use it,” Augusto says.
Looking further into the future, Augusto and Jackie plan to help other cancer patients once his treatment allows for more travel. Rather than start a formal foundation, Augusto wants to work directly with people in need.
“The people that I see desperate, I’m going to come to them and say, what is your problem? And I say, well, it happens that I just found the money. Here go and take it,” Augusto says.
When asked what advice he’d give other survivors, Augusto points to the people around him, saying, “Strength and courage. Sometimes you don’t want to get out of bed. You have to listen to your wife, to your son, to your daughter.” He adds that the people who push you hardest usually want nothing in return. “All they want is for you to get better.”
