[quote=sean]Davidcpa. One of my clients was just treated at Moffit in tampa for luekemia. He came back just a few weeks ago and speaks the world of them. Did you have that kind of an experience?[/quote]

I think David will answer as I will. We were very pleased with Moffitt and continue to see them for checkups. Top notch operation for sure. Our next visit is coming up on November 8th...our three year anniversary from end of treatment.

I told that one PET scan is equal to 500 xrays. I was not at all happy to hear that I discussed it with my surgeon and radiologist and while the MRI and ultrasound are not as "good". They did agree to use them. So that might be a good reason not to get one.

Re Moffitt, I have probably referred 10 plus H & N patients to my RO, Dr Trotti since I completed my Tx's 4 plus years ago and have taken at least 7 to their first consult. Not one dime in commission but that's another topic! Also for the last 3 years I have co taught with Dr T a half day H & N seminar to their med students and was filmed in a Q & A on my treatment experience at Moffitt which is on their web site. I also have participated in other seminars Moffitt has put on re H & N so I guess one might conclude that I am very high on Moffitt.

Now that being said I did have a few complaints during my Tx and even had the occasion to speak to the head of their hospital. She called me at home during the end or right after my Tx had ended. Granted I may be more demanding or logical (anal) than most but I did not hold back my opinions during or post Tx.

IMO no one CCC or other treating facility is going to be perfect but Moffitt has to be way up there and I was lucky to have been so close and I feel very lucky that I ended up with my treatment team of Dr Andy Trotti and Dr Tapan Padhya.

I finally ended up at Moffitt Cancer Center after being pushed from one doctor to another for 4 months. Finally a Radiation Oncologist who I was sent to per an ENT Surgeon to have radiation sent me to Moffitt Cancer Center to see one of the top H&N surgeons. The RO said, you do not need radiation you need surgery because the tumor on my tongue was growing outward and not in, so the ENT Surgeon was wrong. The RO I was sent to followed my case from the beginning at Moffitt to the end...and with No Charge. He was beside himself reading my medical records, he was new in town, graduated from Harvard and worked at Mass. General.

I have nothing but good things to say about Moffitt and the staff in my opinion they are A++++.

What I don't know about Moffitt is if you can go there thinking you have a cancerous tumor or whether you have to be diagnosed with cancer by another physician then go there.

I also had an awesome experience with Moffitt-- David helped get me in quickly! I had an excisional biopsy done by an ENT here in Jacksonville first. When I got the pathology report (high grade MEC) that ENT referred me immediately to Shands Jax head/neck clinic. I really liked the surgeon there but he wanted to remove part of my jaw and do reconstruction because the tumor was up against the jaw. I went to Moffitt for a second opinion and ultimately had surgery there (and I still have my own original jaw-- just minus the outer lining!). I was treated by Dr. Judith McCaffrey (surgeon) at Moffitt and also saw the radiation oncologist at Moffitt- Dr. Rao (one of Dr. Trotti's associates).I am having radiation here in Jax but Dr. Rao did discuss my case with the radiation oncologist here. I think as healthcare professionals we expect a higher standard, and Moffitt definitely met my expectations!! If I were you I'd go down there-- sounds like you need some definitive answer one way or another. Good luck!

Thank for all the replies everyone. I went back to the ENT today for another exam. He looked everything over again and re-scoped me. He said my tonsils are both large but nothing unusual about the left side or the left base of my tongue. The lumps on my left jaw are not large enough in his opinion to consider for needle aspiration. He said if it keeps getting worse he would take out my left tonsil. He suspects its a recuring virus that settled in my left tonsil. He said he was sure that it could not be cancer because either he would have seen it during the exam or the MRI would have found it. I am to check back up with him in three months or sooner if a dramatic change occurs.