Jo,

Wow, you won the lottery, only not the lottery anyone would really want to win (sorry favorite quote from a friend of mine referring to my cancer). I say that because as you know, less then 1% of all cancer's diagnosed in the US are salivary and only 5% of those are found in the minor salivary glands. But that doesn't mean you're not lucky...in a way...remember this is all relative.

Most of the feedback you will get on these boards will be from Squamus Cell survivors or caregivers, there are a few MEC survivors here as well (Esikon is the only one that comes to mind at the moment) so they will have a tendancy to give advice from their experience. It's not an apples to apples comparison however as the cancers are totally different. SCC and MEC are much more agressive then PLGA.

Normally I dislike medical professionals and the stupid stuff that they say to patients. I do like that your Dr put himself in your shoes by saying "if it were my head" I wouldn't do radiation. Wow, hope that not all Dr's are insensative dumb asses!

As a SCC survivor that had radiation, it was brutal and I wouldn't wish it on an enemy. The after effects are harsh and many you'll have to live with for the rest of you life, however long that is. I would do it all over again if put in the same situation to extend my life though.

In my opinion, you've done everything right as far as your course of action. You've gotten the best medical care available to give you the best advice and the best chance at survival. If you trust this Dr, I would take his advice. If you don't trust in your medical team, or there is a better program out there, then get a second opinion.

That being said, if I were in your shoes, with your cancer and with top rated cancer program, I would pass on radiation. If I were speaking to a SCC patient, I would tell them to zap the hell out of it.

Welcome to OCF, glad you found us, sorry you had to.

Eric