Hello everyone.
I hope everyone is doing good, and I wish everyone well.
I retired, I thought temporarily, about 8 months ago, I wanted to ease into my last decade of work, with a less stressful job.
Well, one thing led to another, and I didn't get my resume together, so I thought, let me just wait until after the holidays.
So in early January, when I thought I had a whole new year, with no distractions, being it was the winter in the Northeast, I could now start my new career. I was on the phone, and just was fidgeting with my neck, and I felt this lump.
At first I thought it had to be a swollen gland from a cold I had around Christmas, but it wasn't in the normal spot where I had swollen glands.
So I went to the doctor, and yes, he didn't think it was a swollen gland, too hard, and attached to the neck muscle.
I had it surgically removed, and it was biopsied as squamous cell carcinoma due to P16 HPV virus, in the left cervical lymph node.
To summarize from here, I had all the major testing to find the primary cancer, it has not been found.
PET CT scan, head and neck MRI, and a larangeal biopsy. All clear of tumors, the PET CT indicated a possibility of a carcinoma in the left tongue tonsils.
Since the lymph node biopsy, I first went to a chemo Oncologist, who referred me to an ENT, who then referred me to an ENT Oncologist, who is leading the case currently, and I also met with a radiation Oncologist, who works for a different medical group then the ENT Oncologist.
I want to have the least invasive radiation and chemo, I am concerned about organ damage, I have been a social drinker since I was a teenager, and know that I have fatty liver, as many Americans do.
My ENT Oncologist presented two options,
DaVinci Robotic removal of the tounge tonsils, then a surgery to remove nearby lymph nodes proactively, then the radiation followup, possibly with chemotherapy.
Or, no surgery, but a wider range of radiation, with stronger chemotherapy.
I am looking for advice from forum members who have been down a similar path to me, to suggest which option that I should choose, and if there is another option that I didn't present here.
Thank you for your concern, and your experienced advice.
CM57