Hi--I'm a new poster to this site. I'm a little slow on the uptake (no pun intended) and didn't see this Forum topic till today. Please bear with me if you've already read my inquiries under the Treatments Forum...

I have been reading your website off and on for 5 months, since the midst of my husband's chemo/ radiation treatment for HPV+ tonsillar cancer. It was a tough road, but he was progressing beautifully. The last treatment was December, 2012. Then the 3-month PET/non-contrast CT came back with worrisome spots on lungs. A followup biopsy has confirmed P-16 metastasis to the hilar lymph node of lungs. One small spot, less than a centimeter, (even too small for trial participation) but "terrible" news. (to quote our rad onc). We have two very conflicting approaches from two different centers here in the Baltimore/DC area:
[1. Wait 8-10 weeks and do a CT with contrast to see how it's behaving. If growing, begin chemo
2.] Don't screw around with it and start chemo now.

Thanks to some responses already received from other Forum members, and by listening to our own guts, my husband and I are going to pursue treatment. But I am still wondering if anyone else who has had a recurrence was advised to wait. It seems so counter-intuitive, and yet, one wonders?

Also, I can't help but think that met was already in his lungs when all this began, and it just was too small to show on the September 2012 PET scan. (its SUV was 3.3 or so in the March PET) Maybe it doesn't matter, but maybe it means it's only there in that location--and not all over.

My husband is going for a CT (with contrast) chest scan today. Since its been 9 weeks since the PET/CT (non contrast) maybe we will get an idea of how this thing is behaving.

Thank you for reading if you've gotten this far. Just writing all this is therapeutic. Any and all insights are welcome.

Sincerely,

Mary
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