Jon,

I was given a 60% 5 year survival rate by the first cancer doc that saw me post Dx. He was an ENT that did the fine needle aspiration.

It may help to know if HPV is the culprit.

So the surgery is now out?

When are they going to start the chemo/rad?

What type of chemo...Cisplatin, Carboplatin?

What type of rad...IMRT?

Ask about a PEG tube.

Ask about a port.

Look for the vast majority of oral cancer patients the concurrent chemo rad treatment, while not a pleasant thing to go through, is none the less doable as you can tell by all of us still here posting. The most important thing is keeping up with the necessary daily calories and hydration and we definitely tell everyone to start eating everything in site now before the Tx starts. Also keeping a POSITIVE mental outlook can not be anything but helpful during the 7 weeks of Tx and the recovery. We will be here throughout and available 24/7 so don't ever hesitate to ask us anything.

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.