Hi there, I don't quite know how to start or what I'm looking for. My mother was 65 when she was diagnosed with SSC in upper larynx. They caught it early (only stage 1) and treated her with radiation. The location was not optimal for surgery. She finished her last treatment 04/2005 and everything was great until last month. They found a spot on her lymph node on the right side of her neck. This last Monday, they did the surgery to remove the lymph node(s) and ended up taking the entire neck muscle and all her lymph nodes. They said they got about 95% of it but the last bit was too close to the artery. She will be getting chemo and radiation treatments for the remaining cancer.

She is currently living just outside of New Orleans and I live just north of Dallas. I went down for the first time since Katrina this last weekend and their house is still only about half way fixed. I guess I'm worried about the type of care she will be getting there and the stress of the house and everything. She had a hard time with the first round of radiation. She still won't eat if she doesn't have to. She just drinks the shakes that she used with her feeding tube and has a hard time swallowing. I can't even imagine what this is going to be like with the surgery, more radiation, then chemo on top of that.

Sorry to be so long winded... Does anyone know how good Tulane is and their doctors? I know it's a teaching hospital and everything but what about their oncology department? Also, has anyone had radiation to the side of the neck by your artery? Will this kill the last of her saliva glands or is it directed far enough over to the side? Anyway, any information would be appreciated.

Terri Lee,

I'm sorry your mother is confronted with another battle after going through this last year.

I don't have any personal experience with Tulane, so I can't comment directly on their oncology department. However, elsewhere on this site you can look under "Other Resources" to find both the NCI-designated list of major cancer centers and the latest U.S. News and World Reports list of best cancer hospitals in the country. I did note that Tulane doesn't seem to appear on either list. You might try to see whether she can get a second opinion from someplace like M.D. Anderson, where there is truly a great deal of head and neck cancer expertise.

Since your mother has already had radiation once, I assume the plan for additional radiation involves an area that wasn't treated in the past. Chemo/radiation can be increasingly difficult to handle as the treatment progresses (and for weeks or months afterward), so if she's still feeling some side effects from the last time, you're right to be concerned about whether her home surroundings are conducive to her recovery. Is there someone (friend or family) who can stay with her to be sure she is OK throughout the next round of treatment, or alternatively, can she relocate temporarily to a spot where her day-to-day environment might be better?

Cathy

We thought she couldn't have any more radiation to that area but the doctor said the technology to pin point the radiation has improved so much that they can still treat the side of her neck since they treated the front last time. One of my questions is how close to the original site can you get more radiation and can you have the same (max amount) again so close? She goes to the radiologist tomorrow and the chemo guy on Wednesday. I guess we will find out then, how long and how much the treatment is going to be.

She is from the Dallas area and does not have any relatives close by except her husband. He isn't much help physically. They have had a pretty rough couple of years (major car accident, cancer, Katrina, cancer again). I have been trying to get her to move back home and they are planning to once her husband retires next August and they get the house finished to sell it but that is a long time away. She still thinks she will be able to work on parts of the house herself. Anyway, I'm still working on getting her home. I know she doesn't want to budge until her treatment is finished. I'm thinking by that time, she may be ready.

Thank you so much for the information. I have been browsing around this site. There is just so much stuff, it hard to absorb it all at once.

Terri, to answer one of your questions, I had rad high on my neck because of cancer found there during the surgery. It was IMRT and I still have saliva on that side, as well as on the other side. It was absent for a while after treatment ended, but gradually returned.

Terri, the aftermath of Katrina just continues to
effect the lives of so many people. I am so sorry that your parents [and you] have all of this to deal with. Amy