| Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 8 Member | OP Member Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 8 | With an HPV+ tumor, Stage 4, what has been your advice on alcohol consumption from this point forward. I've never been a heavy drinker but do like a drink on occasion. ENT surgical oncologist okay'd drinks on occasion; radiation oncologist laughed and walked out. Thoughts?
Kevin
Age 42, Stage 4 SCC w/Right Tonsil and 6 nodes positive, Neck Dissection 6/01, 35 rads with 1x/3wk cisplatin, peg 7/2010. completed treatment 8/17/10.
| | | | Joined: May 2010 Posts: 638 "OCF Down Under" "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | "OCF Down Under" "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) Joined: May 2010 Posts: 638 | only one - you've just had the most harrowing year of your life and you are questioning whether or not you should enjoy an occasional drink?
But seriously, there are studies out there that suggest that heavy drinking in tandem with smoking is a very very bad idea. I have also read a review (sorry can't find it now) that suggests that heavy drinking (daily consumption of 4 standard drinks or more) is independently associated with oral cancer. I haven't read anything that suggests an occasional drink does anything other than make you feel good.
Karen Love of Life to Alex T4N2M0 SCC Tonsil, BOT, R lymph nodes Dx March 2010 51yrs. Unresectable. HPV+ve Tx Chemo x 3+1 cycles(cisplatin,docetaxel,5FU)- complete May 31 Chemoradiation (IMRTx35 + weekly cisplatin) Finish Aug 27 Return to work 2 years on 3 years out Aug 27 2013 NED Still underweight
| | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | My RO was OK with me having a drink or 2 on occasion post Tx, just not excessive. I didn't want anything to do with beer until maybe a year post Tx but now a cold beer tastes just as good as it did pre Tx.
I think the one thing that I did stop that we seldom talk about here that may have set my mouth up for cellular changes is I stopped using the alcohol based Listerine. Man pre Tx I used to put a mouthfull of that stuff in my mouth after each brushing and walk around for 10 minutes or so before spitting it out and afterwards my mouth would have a burning feeling to it which I thought was good, you know like the inside of my mouth had just been pressure washed. JMO
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | Joined: May 2008 Posts: 551 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) Joined: May 2008 Posts: 551 | David,
I too have rediscovered beer and have enjoyed about 3 or 4 of them since last summer. They really do taste just as good as before treatment!
- Margaret
Stage IV SCC lt lateral tongue, surgery 5/19/08 (partial gloss/upper neck dissection left side/radial free flap reconstruction) IMRT w/weekly Cisplatin & Erbitux 6/30/08, PEG 1 6/12/08 - out 7/14 (in abdominal wall, not stomach), PEG 2 7/23/08 - out 11/20/08, Tx done 8/18/08 Second SCC tumor, Stage 1, rt mobile tongue, removed 10/18/2016, right neck dissection 12/9/2016 Third SCC tumor, diagnosed, 4/19/2108, rt submandibular mass, HPV-, IMRT w/ weekly Cisplatin, 5/9 - 6/25/2018, PEG 3 5/31/2018
| | | | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 3,082 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 3,082 | Kevin If you still have your PEG, there is no issue at all with alcohol. For oral consumption, my MO and RO both said a couple of beers or glasses of wine a night were fine but no hard liquor. They treated my question with respect and based their answer on having treated hundreds of oral cancer patients and following them up. Note that I also had Stage IV tumor, HPV+ Definitely ditch any alcohol mouthwash, OCF turned me onto Biotene which works very well and is specially formulated to add enzymes we used to get with our old saliva to combat plaque. My first thought is that your RO is so very lucky that he does not have me as a patient. Laughing at a question and walking out would have triggered a very stern rebuke from me Absent an apology, formal complaints. Perhaps he watches too much "House". But then I made my living by being more trouble than I was worth. Charm 65 yr Old Frack Stage IV BOT T3N2M0 HPV 16+ 2007:72GY IMRT(40) 8 ERBITUX No PEG 2008:CANCER BACK Salvage Surgery 25GY-CyberKnife(5) 3 Carboplatin Apaghia /G button 2012: CANCER BACK -left tonsilar fossa 40GY-CyberKnife(5) 3 Carboplatin Passed away 4-29-13
| | | | Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 493 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | Platinum Member (300+ posts) Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 493 | My ENT also said that an occassional beer wouldn't be a problem. My mouth is still pretty sensitive, however, and even communion wine sort of burned. On New Years' Eve I did have a coffee w/a shot of Kalhua (sp?) and some cream, and that didn't bother me at all. I used to like having a margarita when I went to a Mexican restaurant, but don't think that I would even attempt that right now.
Female, nonsmoker, 70, diag. 5/09 after tongue biopsy: stage IV. Left hemi-gloss. and left selec. neck disec. 30 lymph nodes removed May 20. Over 7 weeks daily rads. with three chemo. PEG removed 12/4/09 Am eating mostly soft foods. Back to work 11/09 Retired 4/1/11. 7 clear scans! Port out 9/11. 2/13. It's back: base of tongue, very invasive surgery involving lifestyle changes. 2/14: Now speaking w/Passey-Muir valve. Considering a swallow study. Grateful to be alive.
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