My eye wouldn’t stop watering – it was cancer invading my skull and I needed my entire face rebuilt

A MAN has told how his watering eye turned out to be the sign of a cancerous tumour invading his skull. Roman Ribalchenko, 50, initially underwent chemotherapy, but when this failed he had no choice but to have facial reconstruction surgery that risked him losing his nose and left eye. Roman Ribalchenko, pictured before surgery, was diagnosed with cancer after his eye wouldn’t stop watering Credit: Jam Press Pictured with his wife Svetlana, Roman had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery to remove the full tumour Credit: Jam Press The engineer said that when his eye repeatedly began to water, he just assumed something had got caught in it. As a tiny metal fragment had previously got trapped in his eye at work, he went to his doctor to get checked and the area was cleaned out. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Despite this, his eye continued to water so he decided to go and see an ear, nose and throat doctor. After a CT scan, MRI and bioposy, Roman was given the devastating news that he had an aggressive form of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and a tumour was growing on the left side of his nose. ACC is a rare type of cancer that usually occurs in the salivary glands, head or neck. Tumours are slow growing and can sometimes be difficult to cure with surgery or radiotherapy, according to Salivary Gland Cancer UK. Symptoms depend on the size and location of the tumour but can include vision changes, nosebleeds, nasal congestion, difficulty swallowing or a painless lump. After Roman’s tumour was discovered in January 2026, doctors said it had been left undiagnosed for so long that it had spread into his eye socket, facial skeleton, frontal bone, skull base and dura – the protective membrane surrounding the brain. Most read in Health Pictured after his first of two surgeries, Roman was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma in January 2026 Credit: Jam Press/Beilinson Hospital of Clalit Health Services Roman underwent chemotherapy first, but sadly it did not work Credit: Jam Press As chemotherapy didn’t work, the engineer was told he would need facial reconstruction surgery. Speaking about his ordeal, he said: “I was very frightened and upset. But I believe in chance and trusted my doctors. “There were many serious risks, including the possible loss of my nose and left eye. “If this wasn’t carried out, though, I would die.” The surgery was carried out in May – despite it being deemed impossible – at Israel’s largest health organisation, Clalit Health Services – Beilinson Hospital, located near Tel Aviv. Dr Esmat Najjar, director of the head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery unit and the surgeon who performed the procedure, said: “This resection was at the very edge of what is surgically possible. “Removing the cancer was only half the challenge. You cannot leave a person without a face. “Our mission was not only to save his life, but to reconstruct the structures that would allow him to live with dignity and function again.” Roman’s first surgery lasted 12 hours and involved surgeons removing nasal bones, cheekbones and the entire eye socket Credit: Jam Press The first surgery successfully removed all of the cancer so Roman then underwent a second surgery to reconstruct his face Credit: Jam Press During the first 12-hour operation, surgeons removed the tumour, frontal bone, nasal bones, cheekbones and the entire eye socket, as well as part of the dura. Roman spent two weeks recovering and waiting for results to confirm the cancer had been cleared. Thankfully, results showed that all the cancer had been removed and he underwent a second 10-hour procedure to reconstruct his face. Using bone, muscle and blood vessels harvested from Roman’s shoulder blade, the team were able to rebuild his forehead, cheekbones and eye socket. The transplanted tissue was connected to blood vessels in the neck, which allowed the tissue to remain alive and capable of healing with the help of radiation therapy. Dr Najjar said: “His eye was essentially left without a socket to support and protect it. We had to build it a new home. “At the same time, we had to recreate the protective barrier over the brain, restore the facial skeleton and make it possible for him to breathe, eat, speak and walk outside without feeling like he had to hide.” Roman has now returned home and is breathing, eating and walking independently. Dr Esmat Najjar, director of the head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery unit, and the surgeon who performed Roman’s surgery Credit: Jam Press/Beilinson Clalit What is Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC)? Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon type of cancer that usually develops in your salivary glands or other areas of your head and neck. Sometimes, it can form in other parts of your body, including your skin, breast tissue, cervix or prostate gland. ACC tumors grow slowly. But they can become aggressive and unpredictable over time. That means that even if surgery gets rid of the cancer, it could come back later. Most people with adenoid cystic carcinoma will have recurrence (the cancer will come back) within five to 10 years. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is rare. It affects 4.5 out of every 100,000 people in the general population. Because ACC is slow-growing, it doesn’t always cause symptoms. But for those that do experience symptoms, these can include: A painless lump Difficulty breathing Difficulty swallowing Hoarseness Muscle weakness Nasal congestion Nosebleeds Pain Vision changes Source: Cleveland Clinic He will travel to Vienna in the coming weeks to undergo radiation therapy. His wife, Svetlana, 47, said: “We are a family that never gives up. We chose to fight. “It doesn’t matter to me what he looks like, though. I love him exactly the same. “The only thing that matters is that he’s alive.” Roman said he is still recovering from the surgeries but hopes to “reach the end of that road soon”. He added: “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the surgeons involved for giving me the chance to live again.” Comment now