Anaplastic thyroid cancer survivor finds perfect fit at UT MD Anderson

In June 2021, Leslie Mellinger was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, the rarest and most aggressive type of thyroid cancer. She was told to go straight to UT MD Anderson.

Recently, she celebrated five years with no evidence of disease. “If it wasn’t for UT MD Anderson, I wouldn’t be here,” she says. “It’s not the place anyone chooses to end up in, but it’s truly the very best place to be.”

Common symptom leads to thyroid cancer diagnosis

Leslie was putting on makeup one day when she felt a lump in her neck. She thought it might be swollen lymph nodes from a sinus infection, so her doctor prescribed antibiotics. After 10 days of no change, she had an ultrasound.

“The technician said it was my thyroid,” recalls Leslie, who was 57 at the time.

She visited a local surgeon in Lubbock, Texas, who agreed it was a thyroid issue and ordered a biopsy.

“I got a call from her three days later saying that she contacted UT MD Anderson and wanted me to go to there,’” says Leslie. “I thought, ‘What’s going on? Is it that bad?’”

When Leslie and her husband, Glenn, went to the surgeon’s office the next day, the doctor was in tears.

“She said I had stage 4 anaplastic thyroid cancer, and she’d consulted with a local ENT who didn’t even want to see it,” says Leslie, who asked her doctor how long she’d live. “She told me I had three months, if I even made it home from UT MD Anderson.’”

Not willing to accept that fate, the couple returned home and called their two adult sons. One drove down with his family that day.

He and Glenn started researching anaplastic thyroid cancer treatment at UT MD Anderson and learned how quickly the disease grows and spreads.

That evening, Leslie received a call from Julia Diersing, physician assistant to head and neck surgeon Mark Zafereo, M.D., in UT MD Anderson’s Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Clinic.

Diersing asked if she could be in Houston the next day. “‘I’ll be there,’” Leslie recalls telling her.

Treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer

Leslie’s first appointment was on June 10, 2021. Within the first few days, she had scans, bloodwork and another biopsy.

“I’m from a small town, so UT MD Anderson was like a whole other world to me,” she recalls. “The valet could tell I was overwhelmed, so he walked me inside and showed me where to go. Staff members stopped me in the hall and asked if I was doing OK, or if they could help show me where to go. Everyone was so kind.”

She met Zafereo and oncologic endocrinologist Maria Cabanillas, M.D.

“We loved that Dr. Zafereo wore cowboy boots with his scrubs,” recalls Leslie. “And I remember Dr. Cabanillas told me, ‘You’re going to get through this.’ That was reassuring and comforting.”

Doctors couldn’t definitively classify whether the cancer was anaplastic thyroid cancer or sarcoma, based on pathology from the two biopsies. So, the plan was to do surgery to remove the 7.5 cm tumor on Leslie’s right thyroid. Once they could confirm the type of cancer, she’d receive additional treatment.

On June 16, 2021, Zafereo performed a complete thyroidectomy with a central and right neck dissection. Three of the 25 lymph nodes that were removed were cancerous.

“Before my surgery, I was told I might need a trach and a feeding tube,” she says. “But when I woke up in the recovery room, it took me a while to realize that I didn’t have either.”

Zafereo explained that after removing Leslie’s thyroid, the whole tumor just came off. He didn’t have to touch her esophagus or voice box. Her official diagnosis was stage 4B anaplastic thyroid cancer.

“It’s a miracle,” Leslie recalls Glenn telling her after her surgery. “I went from being told I may not survive past three months to having a successful surgery with no need for a trach or feeding tube.”

Leslie with her husband, Glenn, as she rings the bell to mark the end of treatment at UT MD Anderson.

Managing thyroid cancer treatment side effects

Molecular testing of the tumor didn’t show a mutation that could be treated with targeted therapy.

So, Leslie had chemoradiation. This consisted of six weeks of radiation therapy under the guidance of radiation oncologist Brandon Gunn, M.D., as well as five weeks of intravenous chemotherapy.

The radiation caused skin irritation in her throat and made swallowing difficult. Her voice also became a little raspy.

“My radiation team was amazing,” she says. “I received a little booklet that told me what to expect from radiation. It was very helpful. I was also prescribed medication for my skin and a special mouthwash to use.”

She still has some trouble swallowing at times, so she always keeps a drink and cough drops close by.    

“I did chemo once a week. It made me very sick, but it was a means to an end, and it helped get me to where I am today,” she says. “My chemo nurse, Jancy John, shared the most beautiful prayer with me and Glenn. That helped so much.”

At the time, the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab was showing promise when used as adjuvant treatment for stage 4B anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Leslie discussed this treatment option with her care team to potentially increase survival and lower the chance for recurrence. She began getting pembrolizumab infusions locally every six weeks under Cabanillas’ guidance. She completed two years of immunotherapy on Jan. 9, 2024.

“The only side effects I had from immunotherapy were minor joint issues in my hands and itching in my ankles and wrists,” she says. “It was the easiest part of my treatment.”

Because she no longer has a thyroid, Leslie takes an oral synthetic thyroid hormone called levothyroxine daily.  

Living an even greater life than before

Shortly after her cancer diagnosis, Leslie retired from being a schoolteacher.

“Glenn and I decided we’re going to live life finally,” says Leslie, who recently learned how to ride a horse.

That includes attending country music concerts and, most recently, a six-day family cruise to celebrate Leslie reaching five years with no evidence of disease.

She returns to UT MD Anderson every six months and gets bloodwork every six weeks.

“I still get some scanxiety, but our goal is to do something non-cancer related when we come to UT MD Anderson,” she says. “We used to buy a new pair of cowboy boots every time I got a clear scan.”

During treatment, Leslie was matched with a survivor in Colorado through myCancerConnection, UT MD Anderson’s one-on-one cancer support community. They’ve become close friends, and their families have visited each other. She also recently connected to a patient undergoing treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer through myCancerConnection.

Leslie’s kids have moved closer, and she’s expecting another grandbaby soon. Every day, she visits her mother with Alzheimer’s disease. And she loves spending time with her dogs, Faith and Hank.

“It’s all because of UT MD Anderson that I’m still here,” she says. “I thank God for every person there. I had a great life before, but now I have an even greater life.”

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.

Leslie celebrates five years with no evidence of disease in August 2026. Pictured (left to right) are Glenn, Leslie, Dr. Cabanillas and Christina Abouzid, APRN.