I had TPF Induction Chemo in 2009, which is high doses of Taxotere, Cisplatin and 5-FU, and is usually given in 2 or 3 five day continuous doses spaced three weeks apart from each other, then after that were supposed to do 7 weeks chemoradiation. I had my one and only week IC administered in the hospital as was the protocol then. I do not have any kind words to say about this controversial treatment since it nearly killed me, stopped any further curative treatment, hospitalized me for 6 months, which basically resulted in causing 6 more recurrences through the next several years, and permanent side effects including paralysis, neuropathy, blindness, chronic kidney disease.....

It had a domino of side effects starting with Septic shock, Sepsis, organ shut down, cachexia.. lost over 110lbs in weeks, Steven Johnson Syndrome like burns in the mouth, face, hands, disseminated or invasive candidiasis throughout the body, some which have a 40-60% death rate, and many more having gone from hell and back.

The one positive thing is it works, but as said, it's controversial since it has high toxicities, which can result in not completing the full IC or stopping or delaying further curative treatment such as surgery, chemoradiation, and worse, as was my case, but others may not have had the same result or had different chemo's and dosages. They seem to be using Erbitux, others chemo's as well, maybe replacing some chemo's from the original TPF or PF regimen.

It killed all my cancer, tonsil and two ipsilateral lymph nodes, but it doesn't last, and will most likely return within 8 months, as I later learned, although my tonsil cancer never came back, even though I wasn't able to do my first radiation until 14 months later for a lymph node recurrence, and by then I needed a radical neck dissection, RND, where cancer was found in my neck muscle too, which wasn't my last.

Not trying to scare anyone, but saying like it was for me, actually I down played it. I initially shrugged IC off when I heard it's difficult treatment, I didn't even know what chemo I was getting I was so arrogant, and thought I could beat anything lol. I was knocked out for the 10 count in the first round! It's for you to decide. I wouldn't do the same chemo, probably can't anyway, but I did do others again, twice, with Taxotere & Eribitux, then Carboplatin, even combined with radiation, none which resulted in the same debilitating effects, but were being used as a radio sensitizer to help radiation work better, not to shrink or eliminate the tumor like TPF IC does. Even if so, I would still be afraid of any microscopic cancer lingering that was not being eradicated by surgery, and if that's limited, by radiation, another consideration.

Also, recent news shows that elective neck dissections with oral cancer has better overall survival, if you want to talk to your doctor about that too, read OCF article.

Although surgery is usually the standard for oral cancer, there is a top chef in Chicago, if not the country, Grant Achatz of Alinea, who had tongue cancer and only did chemoradiation, I believe. You can look up his story.

I see you're from NYC. Me too. I was treated in a number of hospitals, maybe some of the same.

Good luck with everything. DonFoo had TPF IC, and probably has a different response than mine, but we both had tonsil cancer, which is treated somewhat differently than oral/tongue cancer.