You are at the premier cancer center in the US, being seen by the best doctors in the US in most disciplines, and you are considering doing an alternative treatment that is different than what has been shown to be successful in thousands of patients. The treatments that have clinical evidence of working are not easy, even difficult. But they have good success rates. And yes, there are quality of life issues over a lifetime in many people. Just remember that in order to have what you refer to as "pretty damaging " effects, those consequences, that most of us live with as long term survivors, only happen to the people who survive to go on with their lives.

If you are going to try some alternative to what the current NCCN guidelines are recommending, which have been proven to work by the major NCI designated cancer treatment centers in the US, I hope you will compare long term outcomes and survival, in an unbiased manner before you decide to do something "alternative" instead of what is known in thousands of patients to work.