Jeana Keough’s tongue cancer leaves her unable to speak

Jeana Keough, 70, former star of "Real Housewives of Orange County," was diagnosed with squamous‑cell carcinoma of the tongue after a painful sore persisted for nearly a year. She underwent two surgeries, including removal of lymph nodes, but doctors found the cancer had spread. Keough is now in her fifth week of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.

Her daughter, Kara Bosworth, has shared updates on Instagram, noting that Keough’s throat pain and mucus from radiation are “brutal,” and that she has been unable to talk. A deep‑vein thrombosis and infection in Keough’s leg have delayed placement of a feeding (G‑) tube, pausing treatment until the infection clears.