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[00:01.47] But cancer is the biggest reason for voice loss.

[00:06.25] The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 12,600 people will be found to have some form of laryngeal cancer this year.

[00:19.79] While today many undergo voice-preserving treatment, thousands of people have had their larynx completely removed.

[00:30.42] These people often breathe through what is called a tracheostomy tube in their neck.

[00:37.33] They can struggle to communicate.

[00:40.25] Although the earlier U.S. recipients were able to reach near normal speech, doctors have not fully accepted these transplants.

[00:51.94] That is partly because people can survive without a larynx.

[00:57.25] At the same time, special drugs that limit the immune system could create new or reappearing tumors.

[01:07.08] “We want to be able to push those boundaries but do it as safely and ethically as we can,” Lott said.

[01:16.12] Head-and-neck specialists say the Mayo trial is important to helping larynx transplants become a choice.

[01:26.47] “It isn’t a ‘one-off,’” but an opportunity to finally learn from one patient before operating on the next, said Dr. Marshall Strome, who led the 1998 transplant in Cleveland.

[01:42.41] This first attempt in a cancer patient “is the next important step,” he said.

[01:49.31] Other possibilities are being studied, noted Dr. Peter Belafsky of UC Davis, who helped perform the 2010 transplant.

[02:00.47] His patients at high risk of larynx loss record their voice in hopes of using new speech devices that sound like them.

[02:11.09] Belafsky said larynx transplants might become more common.

[02:16.14] But he warned it likely will take years of additional research.

[02:21.99] Doctors told Kedian he had a rare laryngeal cartilage cancer about 10 years ago.

[02:30.22] He had to retire with disability assistance.

[02:34.47] Kedian used to be known for long talks with strangers.

[02:39.52] He would not let doctors remove his entire larynx to cure the cancer.

[02:45.89] He wanted to read bedtime stories to his granddaughter, with his own voice rather than what he called robotic-sounding speech devices.

[02:57.04] “Every day it’s getting better,” said Kedian, who is expected to move back to Massachusetts soon.

[03:04.75] His tracheostomy will remain in place for at least a few more months.

[03:10.59] But, he said, “I’m pushing myself to make it go faster because I want these tubes out of me, to go back to a normal life.”