Well, Went to Memorial-Sloan Kettering (NYC) on Friday for 3rd opinion. It is a great huge hospital. I recommend it highly if your local hospitals in the area do not provide top Radiology Oncologist; since the surgery and medicine part is less critical in my book. What i mean by this is Cisplatin can be given and monitored anywhere; yes it is important to have a good surgeon; but I think that having the latest radiology technology is the essential part of out treatment! Basically, the Medical oncologist said there was no reason for me to put my self under the stress of trying to relocate to the city for 7 weeks since I'm not going to be doing any clinical trials and I have a good radiology Oncologist in Rochester!

I'm amazed just thinking that people move themselves to another city for 8 weeks. I guess I could do it if I was married, had a girlfriend that could help; but the isolation alone plus having to deal with the stress of driving too and from treatments 5 days a week in a stressful city would be too much; especially being in pain, nauseated, and depress ( I would want to be home in my own bed)!! This diagnosis is depressing enough; I wouldn't be able to handle being isolated from my friends who I rely on for support!

Having said that, Yes Memorial Sloan said I should take the cisplatin too be safe. He agreed that my surgeon may be correct that I could be cancer free right now after surgery and that all I need is radiation to be safe. He also agreed that in the future hopefully trial studies will prove that less doses of radiation and cisplatin will be needed for HPV+ tumors; but right now it's too early! DAMMIT WHY COULDN"T I HAVE GOTTEN THIS 10 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN THERE IS MORE RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT frown!!!!

The thing that upsets me at 2nd and 3rd opinions is that they don't present your case at a tumor board like your the treating hospital does. Wilmont (UofR) had a tumor board that met twice on my case and agreed both times that I only needed radiation. FYI for newbies: Tumor board= Surgeon, Radiology, and Medical oncologist;a team approach all deciding in a meeting what is best. Memorial Sloan was only 1 medical oncologist opinion who gives chemo; so of course he is going to say I think you should have chemo! At both opinions Roswell and Memorial Sloan I asked if the doctors could call my Rochester doctor and ask why they felt so strongly that I only needed radiation. They both said well he can call us if he wants too; I'll fax my opinion. What a bunch of crap!! It's all about money and I feel they don't care since I won't be being treated at that hospital! frown

Getting these 2nd and 3rd opinions was so frustrating!! I just feel like my body and my life is a big dam/sinking ship with HOLES and I'm frantically tying to find ways to plug the holes! frown

I guess I will be just another experiment/statistic in the oral cancer journals!!

Last edited by Irishgypsie; 05-09-2010 08:13 AM.
Charles

HPV +16 Right Tonsil SCC with 1 Right lymph node. Tonsillectomy and neck resection.

Got 33 radiation doses via tomo machine (58 gry to back of throat, 65 gry to right neck, and 56 gry to left neck) with 2 cisplatin and one carboplatin due to possible hearing loss.