I have just had my second opinion with Mayo, They meet tomorrow to go over my results from the first surgeon...I am looking at a likely mandibulotomy and neck resection...They will tell me if they think I should have radiation as well...I am not really sure...I have come to terms with the operation and the fact that this will not be a fun time...I have a question to any of you who have had this procedure done...The Surgeon at Mayo told me that when the cut out the soft palate that I will have a hole in my soft palate and when I drink it will come out of my nose...The other surgeon was going to do the cutting and the flap procedure at once...One operation and done...

The Mayo doctor suggested that later they will go in and close it up...My 1st surgeon said if they just use the robot, they wouldn't be able to repair my soft palate....The Mayo doctor said they would "take care of that later...I don't like the sound of that...I would rather do it all at once...What do you all think? I don't want to be unreasonable but, I think that if I can just suffer one operation, I will be better off. Any help would be appreciated...SCC Tonsil and soft palate T2N1MO

Well first welcome to.OCF, glad you found us sorry you had to!

Every case is going to be different so where I've had a mandiblectomy I didn't have any soft palate work done. Also understand that the Mayo Clinic is ranked #4 in the country in Ear Nose & Throat , its hard to get a better opinion then that program or better care.

The only advice I can give is to choose the absolute BEST care available to you, after that there's nothing else you can control except for attitude and nutrition. So unless you are getting an opinion from Hopkins, Mass Gen, or MDAnderson I would stick w the Mayo.

Good luck

Eric

I can't offer an answer but, welcome and best of luck to you.

hi i am dr and a maxillofacial surgeon, working as Assistant professor in King Edward MEdical UNiversity, here in Pakistan oral cancer have high ratio and the numbebr of Patientws are increasing day by day. we are operating them at our best, i need a suggestion as i also want to make some association here in favour of our poor patients.

I agree... I sounds like a hard decision - the robot will likely be more accurate and save more tissue, but one operation would likely be best. I would probably go with the one operation - personally - as long as the dr. Performing the surgery was top notch. Good luck!

Thankyou all for your posting...I am really leaning toward the one operation...I saw the link of the TORS and I saw that the burned it off...I don't know if that was what my surgeon was saying when he said that if you use the robot, you can't reconstruct the palate...I am not sure if you burn the skin, it can be reconstructed...There are so many things I don't know about this Cancer...It is so overwhelming and daunting...I want to be as informed as I can be. However, I just don't know what I don't know...That is why I gleen as much info as I can from you all...Thanks for the support and good wishes, I think I need all I can get...

You have a big decision to make and I applaud you for doing the research and getting second opinions in order to make an informed decision.

But sometimes the research is better served if you use it to ask the right questions of the right people. Ask the folks at Mayo why they want to do it in two stages, what it will mean whilst you have the hole in your palate, what they plan to do to help you through this period, how long you will be "holey" and what are advantages the of doing it this way(other than them getting to play with their new toy)? Make sure you ask about differences long term with functionality as this is a biggie that often takes a back seat to the immediate issues and fears.

I have no idea, but potentially you may have "long term gain for short term pain". Or is it the other way around ....

Good luck with whatever you decide

Karen

Hello, There are not a lot of people on here that have had work done on the upper palette. It sucks having a hole up there but if they are taking any bone or teeth eith it there are prosthetics that can help cover up the hole temporarily. Just based on my experience I would do two surgeries. I know why you would rather do one and get it over with but doing them one at a time allows your body to heal after your first so that they can make due everything is gone before they go in a repair with good tissue.

Brandy

Mayo is one of the best in the country for this type of cancer....if you really feel you want to go with another doc's opinion, I would truly think about that and hard.

I would have gone to the Mayo here if I could have, but I would at least research the other docs credentials...like how many of these surgeries they have done, and the outcomes of those(rate of infections and success rates of the surgery they have done)

If after looking at all that, you still choose to go that route, then ok. Best of luck!