[quote=ChristineB]Sounds like your brother's cancer is very aggressive. The issue I see (please correct me if Im wrong) is your brother already had surgery to supposedly take the cancer out. But its only a short time later and the cancer is still there. Was this meeting with the original team of doctors? I would not feel comfortable going back to them since the cancer is still there and growing even after surgery to remove it.

To me what the doctors are advising to do surgery and get as much out as they can and after that they will see where he stands. If they can avoid rads they want to because of his young age. That is understandable due to all the damage radiation does and the lousy after effects that will last a lifetime.

In my opinion (without a medical background) they need to hit it hard with everything to get rid of it all this time. Surgery first then radiation with chemo to make sure they got every single cell. Yes there is always collateral damage with radiation but it will clean up individual cells that can so easily get missed. This is especially important due to how the doctor explained the location of the cancer. It sounds to me like its growing and beginning to spread at least thats their opinion after reviewing all the tests and charts. Its time to decide which route to take and what team to go with and get this taken care of before the cancer grows even more.

Wishing your brother, you and your entire family all the very best with everything![/quote]

Hi Christine,
Yes you are very correct the issue is that he already had surgery to remove the cancer. Afterwards we meet with a second opinion and third opinion (the second and third opinion are from comprehenesive cancer centers)... and they both agreed that they want to re-disect the tongue and do the neck dissection.

We met with our original surgeon on Wednesday for a follow up who wasnt at a comprehesive cancer center (wish I listened to you all in the beginning :() and he said that he would not re-dissect because he wants to save his tongue function and they he would still recommend brachtherapy. I was then questioning him like why would you recommend brachytherapy if its not a reoccurence? and so on? and he never mentioned that he would want to save the radiation option for the future like how the CCCs' did. Yesterday his office called us and said if we want to re-dissect he would love to do the surgery. I just wanted to say go fu** yourself. (sorry excuse my language but i am PISSED).

Christine we need to act fast! We just are so lost now on what to do. U of M- Ann Arbor is number #34 for CCC. I called Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York today as they are number #1 but they are closed. I am going to try to get him in Memorial Sloan or MD Anderson. Should I try to do that? Or go to U of M? I know you arent a medical expert but you are so wonderful and knowledgeable.