Dentist discovers little girl's tumour during routine check up

A routine check-up at the dentist ended up doing a lot more for this little girl than just cleaning her teeth.

Hunter Jones, five, from the US was having her teeth cleaned when her dentist discovered a tumour. The discovery occurred when Dr Harlyn Susarla noticed Hunter had several loose teeth, which was unusual for her age. Dr Susarla asked for a panoramic X-ray, which revealed a growing tumour in the little girl's jaw.

"I was freaked out," Hunter's mother Karla Jones told Fox 45 Now.

Immediately, the family went to Seattle Children's Hospital, where a surgeon took a biopsy, confirming the growth was in fact neuroblastoma, a form of cancer.

The doctor who began treating young Hunter turned out to be the dentist's husband, Dr. Seenu Susarla. Together the couple were a part of a large care team to treat Hunter over the next 18 months.

"This is such an aggressive disease process, early recognition and diagnosis is the key, I think, for treatment," said Dr Seenu Susarla, a children's craniofacial surgeon.

Over the next year, Hunter spent 140 days in hospital, as the disease spread to her abdomen and hip. The little girl had two tumours removed, five rounds of chemo, two stem cell transplants, 12 rounds of radiation and six rounds of immunotherapy.

Despite having to go through hell, Hunter's parents were amazed by her bravery and how she faced each obstacle until her treatment finally ended a few weeks ago.

Once she was cancer-free, Hunter's parents took her back to see her dentist to thank her for everything.

"The fact that this was something that was found in the dental chair, I'm grateful that I saw this and that she was able to get the care the treatment that she needed," explained Dr Harlyn Susarla.

As a result of her aggressive treatment, Hunter now suffers from hearing loss among other health issues.  But right now her family, and dentist, are grateful she is still with them.

"Honestly, I probably think about her every day," Dr Sursala said.