I begin my Rad and Chemo journey on Monday. 39 IMRT and weekly Cisplatin (also daily Amifostene).

A friend of mine had a very similar diagnosis at the same CCC a few years ago, and was given Cisplatin + 5 FU. I have seen others receive this, and still others receiving Carboplatin or Erbitux. My Medical Oncologist said that Erbitux could be used, but it is still being studied, and is potentially more valuable in the event of a recurrence. Obviously, as this CCC has an excellent track record in Head/Neck Cancer and BOT cancer in particular, I am not going to second guess him. Just wondered if anyone had any idea of what goes into determining one regimen over another.

Thanks!

Hi Jeff,

I think that it depends on things like the location/size of your tumor, where it has metastasized to, extent of lymph node involvement, whether it is extracapsular (out of situ) or contained, how aggressive it is, your overall health and medical history.

I was recently at a conference and the MO told us that all chemo is toxic and you have to weigh the potential side effects of each against their track record. Add to that what each patient is willing to risk - again it's a trade off.

We were also told that Erbitux is very promising but more commonly used for recurrence at this point in time. Jack was put on 4 cycles of cisplatin because his cancer was very advanced and that one has a longer track record. It gave him a slightly better edge and we wanted every little bit of help to beat this sucker. You can't worry about what makes sense for anyone but you. All of these are good treatment options, including the one you're on. If you have any issues with hearing loss let them know immediately, there's different ways to do the dosing.

Jack said to tell you that he really believes the amifostine helped him have fewer side effects from the radiation. It's important to follow the recommendations for drinking water and taking the anti-nausea drugs exactly because it's an unforgiving routine. If you do it their way you'll get thru. Also don't wait for the nausea to come, use medication on a preventative basis. It's the little things that seem to matter.

Load up with fluids and good luck,
Regards JoAnne