Hello, my name is Sarah and I am a 32 female who was diagnosed with tongue cancer (Well differentiated, TIN1MX one month ago today (May 1, 2006). I have never smoked and I have only an occasional glass of wine with dinner. Additionally, I am a brand new mom (daughter Julia was born on March 17, 2006).

Since my diagnosis, I have had surgery on my tongue (3 weeks ago) and a partial neck disection where they removed all the nodes in levels 1-3. They removed the tumor on my tongue with 4mm of clear margins. Out of the 34 nodes removed in my neck, 1 node (4mm in size) was positive, so the tumor board has recommended that I go through radiation.

I meet with the radiation doctor tomorrow to disscuss the treatments. I live in the Washington DC area, so there are several places where I can get the latest and greatest in radiation thankfully.

My only question is about the neck. My surgeon mentioned at our last appointment that they would probably only radiate one side of my neck, but I have seen on many of these boards where both sides were recommended. Does anyone know why one side might be recommended over two sides in my case. It might not matter, since the radiation Dr. probably has a better idea of where to go from here, but I was just curious.

Thanks for any information,
Sarah

Hi Sarah,

I want to welcome you to OCF and wish you good luck with your treatment. You will find a wealth of information here and I suggest that you use the search engine at the top of this page and the one on the home page. You might hold the record for having treatment so close to the diagnosis being made. One week, that's amazing. Mine was 3 weeks and I thought that was quick.

Since I didn't have radiation, I can't answer your questions, but be assured you will soon find many here that will share their experiences and knowledge with you. Just bear in mind that it is impossible to find one set protocol for cancer treatments and seeking multiple opinions will give you multiple answers. This can be very confusing and it will come down to going with the treatment plan that you are most comfortable with. Once you've made your decision, don't second guess yourself, as this can be self destructive.

Although tobacco use and alcohol consumption are the major contributing factors for most oral cancers, they are by no means the only causes. HPV (human papilloma virus) has been linked to oral cancer and many times no causative factors can be found. Such is my case.

Congratulations on becoming a mom. Julia is a beautiful name and one that she shares with my 3rd granddaughter, who will be 2 this month.

Jerry

Sarah,

I'm glad you found this site, but I'm sorry you needed to find it -- especially as a new mom at 32. You ARE fortunate to be in an area where there should be extensive cancer treatment resources. Please be sure that your team is made up of doctors who treat many oral cancer cases.

I know there has been discussion elsewhere on this forum within the past few months about the rationale for radiating one side or both -- you may be able to find that using the Search function, or you may hear specifically from people who have had to address that recently. Don't hesitate to ask plenty of questions of your doctors as you prepare for radiation, and if you can take a family member or friend to your appointments (to help take notes and be an extra set of ears), it's a good idea.

Feel free also to post your questions and concerns here -- you'll find lots of support and answers.

Cathy

Sarah,
Most of the dicussion about radiating "both sides" have been mainly tonsil cancer patients. They sometimes irradiate the neck to inlude the nodes as well. A lot has to do with the type of radiation also, whether it is IMRT or XRT.

"Well differeniated" is good as it means that the cancer was confined to one tissue type. Conversely, "
poorly differentiated" means that the tumor has gotten into soft tissue, muscle and even bone.

Congatulations on your new motherhood.

Sarah, my tumor was in the area of a wisdom tooth, and the radiation was to both sides, probably because it was a stage 4, and I was also told that this cancer tends to jump sides. Whatever, it worked and I am here four years later. I wish you strength and the best doctors to get you through this as easily as possible.

Joanna