| | Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 3 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 3 | Squamous cell in '04, '06, '08, all dealt w/by surgery - floor of mouth and primarily tongue - so far, very lucky. Tongue sores now -seeing ENT Friday. My question: I live in a rural area and my ENT does everything under the sun - should I find an out-of-area ENT who is more specialized in oral cancer?? | | | | | Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 939 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 939 | Kate,
Your recurrances are concerning and the answer to your question about seeing someone who specializes in OC is a resounding YES!
If I were in your shoes, I would gather my records..most importantly the lab results from your surgeries and get myself to the Head & Neck Clinic at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. They see Oral Cancer many times a day versus an ENT who rarely sees it.
The recommended treatment (IF you do have SCC again) will most likely be formulated by a team of physicians who meet about your case. This way you have the best chance of knocking the cancer out for good.
Deb
Deb..caregiver to husband, age 63 at diagnosis, former smoker who quit in 1997.
DIAGNOSIS: 6/26/07 SCC right tonsil/BOT T4N0M0
TREATMENT START: 8/9/07 cisplatin/taxol X 7..IMRT twice daily X 31.5.
TREATMENT END: 10/1/07
PEG OUT: 1/08
PORT OUT: 4/09
FOLLOWUP: Now only annual exams. ALL CLEAR!
Passed away 1/7/17 RIP Bill
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 3 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 3 | Thank you Deb! I am going to take your advice - it seems so obvious, but here I sit! Part of my dilema is that I was very unimpressed with the doc that I saw at Stanford's Head & Neck Cancer Dept. a few years ago for a consult after a Board Review. I am so gutless - will muster the guts to ask for a different doc at Stanford, to boot  Thank you, again. | | | | | Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 440 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 440 | Definately get to a CCC! Hoping these new sores are negative!
Dx 3/27/09 @ 28 years old with High Grade MEC T4N2M0
Elizabeth, 33, mother of 3 girls (4,7, &8yrs old)
3 rds of chemo(Carbo/Taxol)
Rt Mandibulectomy, rt fibular flap,& rt ND with trach, picc,& g-tube.
30 rds of rads with weekly cisplatin
SCANS ALL CLEAR!
OCF Regional Coordinator of San Antonio Walk
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 | UCSF is a better choice from a national rating service on cancer hospitals and also UCLA. Stanford is pretty far down the list of the best in the US.
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 6 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 6 | Here is a link to important info about top hospitals from the main OCF pages, I also added the link for cancer ranking of hospitals. http://oralcancerfoundation.org/resources/index.htmhttp://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cancer
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive | | | | | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 790 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 790 | UCSF. I was treated there and received excellent care. If you PM me I can give you contact info. Kate B (2)
Tongue Cancer T2 N0 M0 /
Total Glossectomy Due to Location of Tumor
Finished all treatments May 25 2007
Surviving!!!
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