I appreciate being a part of this board. I have
so many issues, it is overwhelming. My husband
was diagnoised last on 2/28 to tonsilliar cancer
T3N1M0. We are preparing (he is dragging his
feet) for teeth removal, peg tube. He is to
have 7 weeks of radiation with chemo given along
the way. He has HEP C as well. He could NOT
tolerate the drugs (similiar to chemo) for
treatment of Hep. C. His blood count dropped and
he had to stop treatment. Why should I think
this will be any different????

Has anyone heard of Proton Radiation? I had
a friend with prostrate cancer and he elected
Proton Radiation for Loma Linda University
in California. There are no side effects from
this type treatment. He is cancer free and has
been for several years. I contacted the
University and sent his records for their review.
They responded by saying that he could have
the Proton and would also have to have regular
radiation, but no chemo???

I need some help and suggests or other options.
He is 48 years old.....

Thanks for your time!!!

Patsy

This is a question that our radiation expert Gary should answer, and he will likely see this post tomorrow. But if you do a search of the message board you will see that the differences between all three types of radiation have been discussed here. They are good posts, informative and worth reading. Also do a search in the main site. The issues have been discussed there, and in the OC in the news there are several articles about proton therapy vs. the others. Just as a side note, when you post, you do not have to put a return in every time you get to the edge of the small white box, just keep on typing. The type will become dynamic in anyone's display and expand and contact to fit the size of the window on his or her monitor.

Lastly, please do not let your husband "drag his feet". Do everything you can to get him to decide on treatment and move forward soon. This cancer is very unforgiving of half measures or delays. LLU's response seems logical. Proton radiation is very precise and in some cases that is an advantage. In late stage head and neck cancers the tissues surrounding the primary lesion are frequently involved. That means that radiation to a larger area is indicated, and therefore precise delivery to a small target (such as in a brain lesion) is not desirable, but actually may not get all the cells that are involved. For some even IMRT is not chosen for this reason, though it can be "mapped" to hit the primary hard and deliver lesser radiation to surrounding tissues and known pathways of metastasis.

Prostate cancer by nature, the majority of the time, stays isolated to the gland itself, hence the long life span of individuals who even choose not to be treated... since there is less likelihood of mets to vital organs. This also means that a very targeted proton therapy is highly effective and has fewer side effects than other radiation delivery types when dealing with prostate cancer. oral cancer is another animal altogether.

I must be doing something wrong in the seach area. It will show a match as it is look then
at the end come back with 0 matches. I put
in Proton Radiation and then just Proton.

Any suggestions?

Did you try entering the info at the main page? Worst case would be your own posts being the matches.

You have to do the seach in "all open forums". Try "PBT" as well.

Hi Patsy,
The OCF site has good information about different types of radiation. Take a look at:
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/radiation.htm

Because proton radiation therapy is so precise, as Brian noted, it may not be the correct treatment in your situation. You really need the advice of a radiation oncologist experienced in treating head and neck cancers.

You didn't mention whether your husband is getting treatment at a comprehensive cancer center. Please make sure that you go to such a center for treatment. Best, Sheldon

This information will be on our site soon, we have permission to use this article in full, but temporarily you can download a free PDF of the info here: http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/content/full/55/2/117
In the right hand colum go to pdf and then download a readable document from the site.