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#53704 07-20-2005 02:58 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
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Any candy store.

The odds were better with the placebo with Iressa as well.


Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
#53705 07-20-2005 03:10 PM
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Michael, The Cancer Center my husband is using (ranked #13) opened up a Complementary Medicine department this year. We visited after surgery and before radiation and he hooked up with their acupuncturist. She is an MD trained in acupuncture medicine in China and an asst. prof at our local university. She ran a nerve conduction test of some sort after his MRND and has since treated him for pain, nausea, anxiety, and I'm not sure what else. He seemed to have a relatively easy time through radiation (he didn't do chemo), had the peg but didn't use it, took pain meds (but according to drs, less than others), etc. One week, he didn't go and felt he noticed a big difference. Another week, she changed her treatment to skip the anxiety/nausea part, and within a week he was experiencing upset stomach. The interesting thing was he didn't know she was treating him for the digestive system/nausea thing at the time. He also ordered some auto-hypnosis tapes from tranceformation.com to relieve stress and promote healing. He found this very helpful. He also ordered a Guided Imagery CD set (Healing Cancer From Within and another). Again he found this helped him as well. The thing that has intrigued me about this is that it would be very much like me to try these kinds of things - but very much unlike him. And yet, all of these complementary approaches have seemed to not only help but give him comfort throughout this. I also enlisted a good friend to be his "prayer warrior" and she sent him encouraging e-mails and prayers daily. I think if nothing else, being able to relieve stress and calm one's mind is a huge boon in fighting this disease. As I heard my husband joke to a friend of his a few months ago regarding the fear one feels - "A coward dies many deaths - a brave man but one." So true, fear is powerful and anything one can do to fight it off or stare it down is a good thing.

I wish you the best of luck in finding the right solutions for yourself.


Wife of Jerry - Dx. Jan '05. SCC BOT T1N2BM0 + Uvula T0N0M0. Stg IV, Surg on BOT and Uvula + Mod Rad Neck Diss.(15 rmvd, 4 w/cancer), IMRT 33x. Cmpltd 5/9/05.
#53706 07-20-2005 06:29 PM
Joined: Mar 2003
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We covered this so called "study" earlier. The group was small and at the end of the 3 year period the overall survival was the same as the control group. In other words the vitamin E did not produce lower long term survival. Damn statistics and news reporters that can't think. You have to read more than several reports and "studies" before you can begin to draw a conclusion.


Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
#53707 07-20-2005 06:57 PM
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cclark:

Great info!! I KNOW there's something to all of the stuff you mentioned, and my attitude lately has been..."If it doesn't hurt me, I'll try it"...So, I won't be trying Vitamin E :-)

Thanks for the great references.


Michael | 53 | SCC | Right Tonsil | Dx'd: 06-10-05 | STAGE IV, T3N2bM0 | 3 Nodes R Side | MRND & Tonsillectomy 06/29/05 Dr Fee/Stanford | 8 wks Rad/Chemo startd August 15th @ MSKCC, NY | Tx Ended: 09-27-05 | Cancer free at 16+ Yrs | After-Effects of Tx: Thyroid function is 0, ok salivary function, tinnitus, some scars, neck/face asymmetry, gastric reflux. 2017 dysphagia, L Carotid stent / 2019, R Carotid occluded not eligible for stent.2022 dental issues, possible ORN, memory/recall challenges.
#53708 07-21-2005 03:20 AM
Joined: Jul 2005
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The problem with the vitamin E study (which showed no benefit, and in fact, a detrimental impact, of the vitamin) was that the patients were also given beta-carotene for a while. This was stopped but reviewers noted that the B-carotene (which has been shown to increase lung cancer risk of smokers in a large NCI trial) compromised interpretation of the results. The fact that a lot of recurrences occured in the lungs and trachea seems to indicate that the HNC patients may also have been smokers (which do constitutute the great majority of oral cancer cases).

Ideally this study should be repeated sans the B-carotene but that would be unethical based on the first study's results.

Btw, there are other studies which show a benefit to Vitamin E in chemotherapy and no difference tumor control and survival (e.g. J. Clin. Oncol. 2003, 21 (5)).

This is NOT a recommendation to go out a take Vitamin E, it is just a caution not to base all one's decisions on the results of any single scientific study. A certain amount of informed skepticism is always in order...

Gail


CG to husband Barry, dx. 7/21/05, age 66, SCC rgt. tonsil, BOT, 2 nodes (stg. IV), HPV+, tonsillectomy, 7x carboplatin, 35x tomoTherapy IMRT w/ Ethyol @ Johns Hopkins, thru treatment 9/28/05, HPV vaccine trial 12/06-present. Looking good!
#53709 07-21-2005 12:37 PM
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Michael,

Here's another you might enjoy - sound therapy. Check out the CD "Self-Healing with Sound and Music" by Andrew Weil/Kimba Arem. Great music, too (or at least we thought so). We've both used this as a stress and anxiety buster over the past months. In fact I listened to it sitting in the waiting area during my husband's surgery last February. It really helped. He likes to use it when he's particularly stressed over something.


Wife of Jerry - Dx. Jan '05. SCC BOT T1N2BM0 + Uvula T0N0M0. Stg IV, Surg on BOT and Uvula + Mod Rad Neck Diss.(15 rmvd, 4 w/cancer), IMRT 33x. Cmpltd 5/9/05.
#53710 07-21-2005 01:59 PM
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Great Idea!

Plus, the RO's I've talked to said they will play any CD I bring in for me during my rad tx.

I'll get one! Thanks! :-)


Michael | 53 | SCC | Right Tonsil | Dx'd: 06-10-05 | STAGE IV, T3N2bM0 | 3 Nodes R Side | MRND & Tonsillectomy 06/29/05 Dr Fee/Stanford | 8 wks Rad/Chemo startd August 15th @ MSKCC, NY | Tx Ended: 09-27-05 | Cancer free at 16+ Yrs | After-Effects of Tx: Thyroid function is 0, ok salivary function, tinnitus, some scars, neck/face asymmetry, gastric reflux. 2017 dysphagia, L Carotid stent / 2019, R Carotid occluded not eligible for stent.2022 dental issues, possible ORN, memory/recall challenges.
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