Health
Steven Tyler’s career-ending throat injury: How dangerous is a fractured larynx?
Aerosmith’s mid-tour announcement that the band is retiring after five decades has spotlighted the little-known condition that frontman Steven Tyler is battling.
On Friday, the band announced on its website and its X account that Tyler’s ongoing vocal issues led them to the “heartbreaking” decision to stop performing.
“As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other,” the statement read.
AEROSMITH RETIRES FROM TOURING, STEVEN TYLER’S VOICE WON’T MAKE FULL ‘RECOVERY’: ‘HEARTBREAKING’
“He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury. We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side.”
“Sadly, it is clear that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision – as a band of brothers – to retire from the touring stage.”
Steven Tyler experienced vocal damage that led to the cancellation of Aerosmith’s farewell tour. (Getty Images | iStock)
Prior to the tour cancellation, the band had postponed a few dates of their Peace Out farewell tour after Tyler damaged his vocal cords during a Sept. 10 performance, according to reports.
“I’m heartbroken to say I have received strict doctor’s orders not to sing for the next 30 days,” Tyler, 75, posted on Instagram.
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“I sustained vocal cord damage during Saturday’s show that led to subsequent bleeding. We’ll need to postpone a few dates so that we can come back and give you the performance you deserve.”
“Sadly, it is clear that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible.”
Later in September, the band posted on Facebook that Tyler’s injury was “more serious than initially thought.”
“His doctor has confirmed that in addition to the damage to his vocal cords, he fractured his larynx, which requires ongoing care.”
What is a laryngeal fracture?
The larynx, also known as the voice box, is a hollow tube that runs vertically down the middle of the neck above the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
As part of the respiratory system, it also helps to prevent food from entering the windpipe while breathing.
The larynx is essential for breathing and producing vocal sounds, the Cleveland Clinic states.
On Friday, the band announced on its website and its X account that Tyler’s ongoing vocal issues led them to the “heartbreaking” decision to stop performing. (Getty Images)
A laryngeal fracture, which Tyler suffered, is rare, but it can occur when there is a blunt external force applied to the voice box, according to Dr. Joel E. Portnoy, a laryngologist and otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Lake Success, New York.
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“After about age 30, the laryngeal cartilage becomes bone, which is more brittle and subject to fracture,” Portnoy told Fox News Digital via email.
“This can be life-threatening if the injuries extend internally and may require emergency surgery to repair.”
A laryngeal fracture is rare, but it can occur when there is a blunt external force applied to the voice box, according to a doctor. (iStock)
Patients with trauma to the larynx typically experience hoarseness, neck pain, shortness of breath, loss of voice, and pain while speaking or swallowing, Medscape states.
For a singer, a laryngeal fracture can lead to “devastating consequences,” Portnoy said.
“At best, internal swelling will lead to temporary hoarseness, but in rare scenarios, irreparable damage can occur that permanently impairs the ability to sing or speak,” he said.
“Thankfully, most laryngeal fractures are minor and respond to voice rest, humidification, close monitoring and sometimes steroids to manage,” the doctor added.
In some severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary.
In general, most vocal injuries are due to local tissue trauma, such as vocal fold hemorrhage (bleeding under the surface) or mucosal tears (like a scrape of the vocal fold surface), according to Portnoy.
For singers and others who rely on their voices for their professions, timely diagnosis and management are critical, a doctor advised. (iStock)
“These typically resolve with absolute voice rest, humidification and time,” he said.
For singers and others who rely on their voices for their professions, timely diagnosis and management are critical, Portnoy advised.
“General prevention of vocal injuries includes vocal warm-ups, humidification and hydration as well as employing good vocal techniques,” he said.
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“We always advocate for listening to your body; if you feel a change in your voice or are experiencing fatigue, strain or pain, it’s generally time to refrain from voice usage.”
Aerosmith isn’t the only band to recently announce a tour cancellation due to illness.
“If you feel a change in your voice or are experiencing fatigue, strain or pain, it’s generally time to refrain from voice usage.”
Last month, Eddie Vedder and the members of Pearl Jam canceled a string of shows on the European leg of their Dark Matter World Tour, citing recovery from a continued “illness” within the band.
In June, Neil Young, 78, and his band Crazy Horse announced they were taking an “unplanned break” due to illness among various band members.
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Also in June, country music star Mark Chesnutt announced the cancellation of his tour as he recovered from emergency quadruple bypass surgery.
Janelle Ash, Tracy Wright and Christina Dugan Ramirez of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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