Innovative endoscopy procedure at UT Physicians is game-changer for Houston man


By Simone Sonnier, UT Physicians
May 19, 2023

TJ Giden of Houston is now enjoying a normal, cancer free life thanks to a groundbreaking surgical procedure.

TJ Giden of Houston is now enjoying a normal, cancer free life thanks to a groundbreaking surgical procedure. (Photo by Andi Atkinson, UT Physicians)

TJ Giden’s journey started with a bleak diagnosis of esophageal cancer. At age 75 and with several underlying conditions, Giden was told he most likely would not survive.

“When I heard the word ‘cancer,’ I figured it was all over,” he shared. “I thanked God for letting me live this long.”

Normally, a patient presenting with earlier stages of esophageal cancer would undergo a traditional surgery where the esophagus and surrounding lymph nodes are removed. In Giden’s case, he was too high risk for the surgery. Thus, chemotherapy and radiation were recommended by a board of experts during a cancer conference as a compromise to slow the spread of cancer down. However, it wasn’t a road the patient was willing to go down.

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