Cause of death of Val Kilmer, chronology of the diagnosis of throat cancer

Val Kilmer died on Tuesday of pneumonia, but its story of cancer of the throat – an umbrella term for cancers of the throat, the vocal, the head and the neck – may have been a contributing factor.

Although the star “Top Gun” was diagnosed with the disease a decade ago, he first kept secret. The actor, who was 65 years old at the time of his death, started to speak publicly about his state until a few years later, and published a documentary in 2021 “Val”, in which he opened his health difficulties, in particular by losing his voice following a tracheostomy. He used a vocal box to speak in the film.

Kilmer’s daughter, who confirmed her death, did not specify if her pneumonia was linked to her cancer. However, undergoing tracheotomy can increase the risk of long -term pneumonia according to the American Thoracic Society.

Val Kilmer received a diagnosis of throat cancer in 2014

The star of “Batman Forever” received his diagnosis in 2014, but disclosed it publicly for the first time in a Reddit 2017 asks me everything. He had previously denied having had cancer in 2016 after his Costar of “The Ghost and the Darkness” Michael Douglas revealed his state of health during a press event. He then detailed his current fight in progress in a memoir in 2020 entitled “I’m Your Huckleberry”.

Kilmer confirmed that he was without cancer in a blanket of People 2021 magazine promoting his documentary; In the doc, the actor said he had been without cancer for about four years.

Val Kilmer could not speak due to a tracheotomy

Kilmer’s vocal cords were damaged after a tracheotomy, and he definitively lost his voice.

During a tracheotomy, also called tracheotomy, a hole is made at the front of the neck and a tube is inserted into the trachea. The procedure is carried out on people with a problem that prevents air and oxygen from reaching the lungs. This may include a lesion of the throat (as from radiation or trauma), or a physical blockage in the trachea (like cancer).

The tracheotomy tube is fixed at the neck with adhesive tape, and the patient breathes it rather than by nose and mouth.

It is common to have trouble speaking after a tracheotomy, but not everyone loses the ability to speak permanently. However, the problem can persist up to 25% of patients who need long -term mechanical ventilation, according to the National Tracheotomy Safety Project.

In a New York Times profile in 2020, the actor said that his cancer treatments had included surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He suggested that the damage caused by chemo and radiation had led to his need for a tracheotomy tube. He also said that when he tried to remove the tube, he would feel complications like a cough, cold or fever.