Crippling pain: Jannet Sylva, 12, had a grapefruit-sized tumor growing in her mouth for the past three years. Last week, surgeons in New York successfully removed it in a 12-hour operation Doctors remove grapefruit-sized tumor from 12-year-old girl's MOUTH that had been growing for three years Jannet Sylva, 12, from The Gambia, had a tumor growing in her mouth for 3 years It left her unable to talk, eat properly or able to close her mouth Jannet was transferred to New York where doctors successfully removed the tumor, and reconstructed her jaw from a leg bone She is currently recovering in the ICU and no complications are expected A 12-year-old girl was left unable to talk, eat properly, or even close her mouth due to a grapefruit-sized tumor growing inside her mouth for three years. Jannet Sylva, from The Gambia, could have had a simple procedure to remove the benign lump after it first emerged in her lower jaw when she was nine. But without the means to operate, doctors left it - forcing Jannet into a life hampered by severe disability and pain. Finally, a global charity came across Jannet's case late last year, and flew the little girl with her mother to Queens, New York, for life-changing surgery. Now, just days after the operation, she faces weeks of recovery in the ICU - but the charity that flew Jannet to the US tell Daily Mail Online she is finally smiling again. After surgery: Jannet's lower jaw was reconstructed using the fibula, or calf bone. Jannet will have to be monitored in the hospital for weeks before extensive therapy to learn how to talk and eat again. Eventually she could get reconstructive surgery to repair the stretched skin Jannet was born in The Gambia and was a relatively healthy child. Her mother, Philomena, said Jannet didn't start complaining of mouth pain until she was nine years old. Doctors soon discovered a tumor growing on her lower jaw. According to Dr David Hoffman, head of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, the tumor could have been treated when she was younger and first diagnosed. However, the tumor was left untreated to the point that it became impossible to correct in her home country. In three years, Jannet's tumor has tripled the size of her mandible, or lower jaw, and had deformed her face. She often walked with her face wrapped in a scarf and was reluctant to go to school or engage with friends. Dr Hoffman was contacted through the nonprofit Healing the Children, after they'd been notified of her condition from one of her local doctors in The Gambia. The surgeon then contacted Elissa Montanti, the founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund - a charity that helps children who have been injured due to war, natural disaster or illness - in September and asked for help. Montanti arranged for transportation, housing and a visa for Jannet and set her up in a home on Staten Island. Jannet did not start complaining of mouth pain until she was nine years old. She and her mother sought help at home and in Senegal, but to no avail. The tumor was left untreated BENIGN MOUTH TUMORS AND HOW THEY GROW A benign tumor of the oral cavity is a non-cancerous growth that does not spread to other parts of the body and is not usually life-threatening. There are several different types of oral cavity tumors: 1. Hyperplasias Hyperplasia is an increase in the number of normal cells, and such growths are very common in the mouth. It is usually caused by irritation or injury to oral cavity tissue. There are two types: fibromas, which can occur anywhere, and pyogeneic granulomas, which usually occur on the gums. 2. Papillomas Papillomas develop from epithelial cells that line the inner surface of the oral cavity. They are wart-like growths often associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). 3. Pleomorphic adenomas These benign tumors develop from the minor salivary glands scattered on the inner surface of the oral cavity or from the major salivary glands. Also called mixed tumors, they are slow-growing, painless masses. 4. Soft tissue tumors These tumors start in the different soft tissues that lie beneath the lining of the mouth, such as blood vessels and fat. Most are soft to the touch and painless. 5. Benign odontogenic tumors and cysts Odontogenic tumors and cysts are often benign and occur mostly in the jaw bones (mandible and maxilla). They start from the tooth-forming tissues and may be caused by abnormal development of the jaw bone. 6.Benign tumors of the bone These tumors occur in the jaw bones (maxilla and mandible). There are two types: osteoma, found on the skull and facial bones, and ossifying fibromas, which develop in the lower jaw bone or mandible. An osteoma may cause symptoms when it grows into the surrounding tissues. Source: Canadian Cancer Society She told Daily Mail Online: 'For two months, she saw several doctors to figure out how they were going to safely remove the tumor. 'Originally, Jannet was going to be treated at Staten Island University Hospital, but it wasn't until Dr Hoffman first saw her in person that he realized the extent of her condition. 'Between September and November, the tumor had grown. And it continued to grow right up until the day of surgery.' The medical reason behind Jannet's tumor is unknown. Montanti suspects it may have something to do with water as accessible, clean drinking water is hard to come by in Jannet's home country. The tumor had made life very uncomfortable for Jannet. It had grown to such an extent that she couldn't talk and she would eat through the corner of her mouth using a syringe. Jannet wasn't even able to close her mouth One of the nights she was in New York, Montanti received a call that Jannet was in the ER. 'She was saying that she couldn't breathe, so that was a little scary. As it turned out, she had a cold and the congestion was causing the problem,' Montanti said. Doctors at a sister hospital - Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens - practiced on 3D models created from her CAT scans in addition to a great amount of virtual surgery practiced on a computer. Surgeons had to become before familiar with how to take the fibula, or calf bone, which is normally straight and reconstruct it into a curved jaw bone. Finally, on January 16, Jannet underwent an approximately 12-hour operation surrounded by Dr Hoffman's team of head and neck, pediatric, and plastic surgeons, as well as an interventional radiologist. According to Montanti, the surgery was successful and Jannet 'looks great'. She will have to remain in the hospital for a few weeks and have her trachea removed before she is moved out to Staten Island with her mother. From there, she will undergo outpatient treatment at Staten Island University Hospital. Montanti says Jannet has a long road of therapy ahead of her. She has to undergo intensive speech therapy, as well as learn to eat again, but she is feeling positive. 'I went to see her and she was smiling and playing a guitar that someone had brought her,' Montanti said. 'Her personality seems to be coming through now. I think she was very apprehensive about the surgery but, now that it's over and it's gone well, I think she's relaxed. 'She's smiling, her eyes were sparkling, I saw a different Jannet.' Jannet had worn a scarf to cover the tumor and was reluctant to go to school or talk to friends. Now, Montanti says her personality is shining through and that she sees 'a different Jannet' Source
