[quote]We have only seen a surgeon and don't know if we should just start looking for an oncologist on our own or what. I wish we had more guidance.[/quote]
Laurie --
This is why you will see so many recommendations here to get an opinion (or two, or more) from a comprehensive cancer center, or CCC. At such a facility your husband's case will be evaluated by a "tumor board" of medical professionals from a variety of specialties. They will discuss his case and come up with a treatment plan. Many CCCs have specialized head and neck cancer clinics -- and because these cancers can affect so many vital functions, it is critical to have a team of professionals who are familiar with this disease working together for the best outcome.
[quote]What I am wondering is how you are able to get so many appointments so quickly. [/quote]
In her first post on this thread
Shelly said her husband was being treated at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis, which is a CCC. This is an example of the coordination you will find at such a facility.
To learn more about CCCs, you can start
here -- though be advised that this list has not been updated for a while. (The current list is
here.) Another source of information is the
National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of about 20 of the country's leading cancer centers. It's this group that devises the annual
treatment protocols used by hospitals across the country.
[Edited to add:] From your posts in another thread, I gather that your husband's surgery was at the University of Washington, which is part of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a NCI-designated CCC and a member of the NCCN. All the support systems of a CCC should be available there, so ask your surgeon's office what your next step should be -- or, more proactively, ask when your husband's case will go before the tumor board. Sometimes you just have to be the squeaky wheel.
I wish you and your husband all the best.
And Shelly, who started this thread, the same to you and your husband.
