Doctors remove cancerous tumor from blind teen
By Cynthia Hubert - Bee Staff Writer

Published 3:54 pm PDT Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Blind since age 3, Ben Underwood underwent delicate surgery Tuesday to remove a tumor. He has the rare ability to navigate the world through sound. Sacramento Bee file, 2006/Kevin German

Elk Grove teenager Ben Underwood, who has gained international fame for his ability to navigate a world that he cannot see, was talking and joking from his hospital bed Wednesday after doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his sinus cavity.
But the youth, who has been blind since he was a toddler and has mastered a skill known as echolocation to identify objects in his path and safely get around, likely will face a long and difficult battle for recovery, one of his doctors said.
"Assuming as we do that the tumor is malignant, surgery cannot cure it," said pediatric neurosurgeon John Zovickian, part of a team of doctors at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center who spent some 11 hours operating on Ben on Tuesday. Most likely, Zovickian said, Ben will need chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and his future is uncertain.

Ben lost both of his eyes to a cancer called retinoblastoma when he was a toddler. When he got older, he found that by clicking his tongue and listening to the sound waves that bounce off of various objects, he could identify objects in his path with remarkable precision. The technique is commonly used by bats and dolphins but rarely has been documented in humans.
A student at Sheldon High School, Ben plays video games, zips around on inline skates, rides a bike, wrestles, dances and practices karate.
After The Bee told his story last May, he became a global media sensation. Ben has been the subject of features in People magazine and on television networks in America, Japan and Great Britain. He has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey shows, and recently met musician Stevie Wonder. He is a popular figure on the Internet.
Earlier this month, Ben complained of headaches to his mother, Aquanetta Gordon. Tests revealed that he had a large tumor in his sinus cavity.
The tumor, which was pushing on Ben's brain, may be related to his original condition, Zovickian said. Children treated for retinoblastoma are at greater risk of developing cancer when they get older, he said.
Ben's surgery, led by Zovickian, pediatric neurosurgeon Dachling Pang and head and neck surgeon Joshua Gottschall, took nearly 11 hours but went smoothly. The good news is that the tumor did not grow into Ben's brain.
When he woke from anesthesia, Ben was "talking and ordering people around," Zovickian said.
"Right away, that boy was asking, 'Where's my mama?' and saying 'Give me something to drink,'" Gordon said. "His mouth was so dry."
Later, he asked for his iPod and his video games, and talked to friends and his pastor on the telephone.
"He's still Ben," his mother said. "I feel so blessed."
Biopsies of the tumor will help doctors determine future treatment for Ben, Zovickian said. The youth's spirit and determination no doubt will serve him well, said the doctor.
"He's got a long, hard road ahead of him," said Zovickian. "But it's always a good thing when a patient is upbeat. It definitely can't hurt."