 Bergmann recommended consulting a leading British cancer specialist, Morell Mackenzie; he also recommended a thyrotomy to gain better access to the inside of the larynx, followed by the complete removal of the larynx – a total laryngectomy – if the situation proved serious.While Victoria was informed of the need for an immediate operation, Frederick was not told.Despite the tentative diagnosis of cancer, the doctors hoped the growth would prove to be a benign epithelioma.