Potato Chips Obsession Leads To Throat Cancer Discovery

A Washington woman is now thanking her obsession for potato chips that lead to the discovery of a cancerous tumor in her left tonsil.

In a report from KIRO 7 News, Kristine Moore admitted that she has been eating Ruffles potato chips with her lunch daily for the last 20 years.

Last February, while enjoying her favorite snack, Moore felt a sharp piece of chip poked her tonsils. She asked her husband to take a peek inside her mouth. Her husband commented that her tonsils look very red and swollen.

The next day, Moore felt like she was coming down with a cold and went to the doctor. She was tested for strep throat but it came back negative. The doctor did not like the looks of her tonsils and decided to do a biopsy resulting in the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma in Moore's left tonsil.

Moore is dubbing the potato chip as a blessing in disguise. "I probably wouldn't have found out another year," said Moore in CNN.

Early diagnosis of this kind of cancer is really significant. With the disease caught early, there is up to 80 percent cure rate.

Moore is accounting her cancer to years of smoking. After her diagnosis, Moore has to quit smoking, but she would never lay down the potato chip saying she would keep eating it until she can't eat them anymore.

"I know I shouldn't eat this many, but I love them," Moore said.

At present, Moore is scheduled to start her radiation and chemotherapy treatments at the Providence Regional Cancer Partnership in Everett in a few weeks.

According to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, American Cancer Society estimates about 39,500 people in the United States diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015.

The Cancer Statistics,2016 published by American Cancer Society projected about 1,685,210 new cancer cases and 595,690 deaths from cancer in the United States this year.