BOSTON -- Think about how often you use your voice -- at home, at work, on the phone. If you lost it, it could be devastating.

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported that millions of Americans lose their voices to cancer and live to tell about it. Some of those survivors are in Boston this week discussing new research and the technological advances giving sound to their silence.

For 40 years, Bob Mehrman was a recognizable voice on Boston television and radio. He was even president of the Massachusetts Association of Broadcasters. But then cancer attacked his vocal cords, forcing Mehrman to have them surgically removed.

"It was devastating. Here I was lying in bed in the hospital room, wondering what would happen after I lost my ability to earn a living. I lost my ability to communicate with people, something I had been trained to do and something I loved doing -- broadcasting," said Mehrman.

Now Mehrman is head of the largest international association of laryngectomees. The group is meeting in Boston this week to talk about the latest advances for laryngectomees, like voice boxes with multiple tones that give more character to speech. New hands-free voice prostheses are changed every six months instead of every day.

"I feel more normal and there are days that I just forget that I'm a laryngectomee," said Tina Long.

"It's a more normal sounding voice compared to regular voices and they end up sounding a bit hoarse but they have very effective communications," said Dr. Daniel Deschler, of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

With the new devices, an Armenian professor was able to hear his own voice for the first time in years.

"He's told me that he feels like he's been reborn," said Carla Gress, of the Voice Institute.

Approximately 90 to 95 percent of the time, larynx cancer is the result of cigarette smoke exposure often combined with alcohol. Mehrman said he and others in the association will continue to reach out to youngsters to educate them about the dangers of cigarettes.

"When you beat cancer, life changes. You appreciate it a lot more. And you appreciate every day a lot more. Now if we can only get people to stop smoking," Mehrman said.

Symptoms of larynx cancer include persistent coughing, sore throat, hoarseness and neck pain.