By Marty Trieschmann
Aug. 8, 2025 | When longtime Harrison, Arkansas, family physician Mahlon Maris, M.D., began experiencing hoarseness in late 2023, he chalked it up to a bad bout of COVID-19 and the lingering inflammation that can sometimes follow. But months passed, and his voice still hadn’t returned. It was the first sign that something more serious was going on.
“I figured I was in that unlucky 1% who end up with post-COVID dysphonia,” Maris said, referring to the persistent voice problems that can affect some patients long after recovering from the virus.
By March 2024, during a routine visit with his cardiologist, the concern grew. “He listened to my voice and said something wasn’t right,” Maris recalled. “He referred me to Adrian Williamson III, M.D., and that’s where the story really began.”
Williamson, an associate professor of otolaryngology in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, ordered a thorough evaluation. After an initial laser ablation, a minimally invasive procedure commonly used to treat early-stage larynx cancer, Maris received a sobering diagnosis: stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma of both vocal cords.
Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of larynx cancer, accounting for the vast majority of cases. Early detection, often prompted by hoarseness, can lead to high cure rates through surgery, radiation or a combination of treatments. In more advanced cases, symptoms can include sore throat, difficulty swallowing, ear pain or a lump on the neck. More advanced larynx cancers like Maris’s can cause complete destruction of the laryngeal function, robbing patients of their ability to speak or breathe normally.
A second biopsy performed at UAMS confirmed Maris’s cancer had spread aggressively to the anterior commissure at the front of the larynx where the vocal cords attach and had spread to a lymph node in his neck.
He was promptly referred to UAMS otolaryngologist Mauricio Moreno, M.D., vice chair of adult services for the UAMS Head & Neck Oncology Clinic, and began coordinated care with Omar Atiq, M.D., UAMS medical oncologist, and Santanu Samanta, M.D., a UAMS radiation oncologist specializing in proton therapy at the Proton Center of Arkansas, located in the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center.
The state’s first and only proton center, the Proton Center of Arkansas is a collaboration of UAMS, Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health and Proton International.
“His options were either surgery, which would have taken his voice, or radiation therapy, which could preserve his vocal cords,” said Samanta. “We recommended proton therapy because it could deliver the same powerful curative treatment while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.”
Unlike standard X-ray radiation, proton radiation therapy delivers targeted energy directly to the tumor with reduced radiation exposure to healthy tissues near the mouth, esophagus, spinal cord and brain stem. This precision is especially important for head and neck cancers, where vital functions like speech and swallowing are at stake.
Maris underwent 35 proton treatments, paired with three rounds of chemotherapy.
“It was a tough slog,” he admits. “There were days with brain fog, lethargy, decreased appetite and nausea. But I knew I was in the right place.”
On July 10, Maris received the news he’d been hoping for: he was cancer free.
And thanks to proton therapy, he retains the possibility of future radiation treatments if needed, something that would not have been possible with standard X-ray radiation.
“If he had received X-ray radiation, he would have hit his maximum lifetime dose to many organs nearby the tumor,” Samanta said. “But because proton radiation is very precise, the organs near the tumor received much less dose compared to standard radiation, and he could be retreated if necessary.”
A retired family physician who spent decades caring for others, Maris found himself in an unfamiliar position: the patient.
“Invasive cancer was, obviously, new to me and above my pay grade as a retired country doc,” he said. “But from the moment I walked in, I experienced expert medical care and genuine kindness — true caring. From the person who checked me in to the nurses and doctors, I felt like they were all pulling for me.”
He credits his recovery not only to the expertise of his care team at the Proton Center of Arkansas and UAMS, but also to his support system: his wife of 60 years, two devoted adult children and a wide circle of praying friends.
“They loved me, supported me and hauled me to every appointment. Like most physicians, I’m not the ideal patient,” he joked. “But their presence carried me through.”
Now on the other side of treatment, Maris is cautiously optimistic and grateful. His voice is returning, and he’s regaining energy. More than anything, he wants others facing similar battles to know they are not alone.
“Pray. Let people help you, and you will get through it. You come back to life.”