Young mother’s children give her hope during cancer treatment

A canker sore isn’t much cause for concern. But when the sore on Maliah Murtha’s tongue seemed especially persistent in late 2023, her dentist referred her to an oral surgeon for investigation.

“He thought it was unusual,” Murtha recalls. The oral surgeon performed a biopsy, which confirmed that the sore was squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of oral cancer. It typically appears as a firm, red bump or sore that bleeds but doesn’t heal, or as a painless neck mass.

Murtha, who also happened to be pregnant with her second child, was referred to Dr. Tjoson Tjoa, an otolaryngologist and surgeon with UCI Health Head and Neck Cancer Services. He diagnosed her with stage 2 cancer.

She would need surgery, the timing of which had to be handled with care because of her pregnancy. 

The surgical team collaborated with Murtha's obstetric team to find a date that would be safe for both Murtha and her fetus.

In September 2023, Tjoa resected Murtha’s cancer, along with the surrounding portion of her tongue and lymph nodes in her neck.

Murtha gave birth to a healthy baby girl just a few weeks later in October.

Another battle ahead

One year into raising her now two young children, Murtha felt a lump on the far right side of her neck. Unfortunately, her squamous cell cancer had returned. Treatment would be more intensive. A multidisciplinary team of cancer, radiation and medical oncologists quickly created a personalized treatment plan that would remove Murtha’s cancer and restore her health.

Tjoa did an aggressive surgery to resect the new tumor and more lymph nodes in October 2024. Murtha battled through complications and had a brief hospitalization before recovering enough by January 2025 to begin the next phase of treatment: chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

UCI Health radiation oncologist Dr. Jeremy P. Harris oversaw her six-week course of radiation to kill any remaining cancer cells. She experienced severe side effects, including loss of appetite and taste, which led to a two-week period without food or water that landed her in the hospital with a feeding tube. UCI Health medical oncologist Dr. Shirin Attarian oversaw her chemotherapy regimen.

Meaning of family

Facing those challenges, Murtha says, would not have been possible without the support of her family.

“My mother Christine was by my side every second of every day,” she recalls. “My dad, Robert, stayed strong for me like he’s always been.”

Murtha’s fiancé, Miguel, also stepped up, helping the young mother manage the effects of her treatment while raising two young children.

“He was my backbone,” the 32-year-old mother remembers. “He was able to stay home and raise our babies while our world was upside down. I fought my cancer for them.”

Murtha says that without her treatment at UCI Health, the outcome could have been much different.

“I am so grateful to UCI Health. My doctors and nurses took such good care of me.”