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Karla Flores

Karla Flores

Patient

Appears in 1 story

Stories

The new pathways to 'inoperable' tumors

New Capabilities

Cancer-free, recovering from multiple surgeries

A 19-year-old Maryland woman had a chordoma wrapped around her spine and spinal cord. Only 300 Americans get this diagnosis yearly. Approaching from the back risked paralyzing her. Instead, surgeons carved a pathway through the bottom of her eye socket—a first for spinal tumors—and extracted the cancer without disturbing her spinal cord, major blood vessels, or nerves controlling speech and swallowing.

Updated Jan 9