Callie,
I was in Dons exact position just a few months ago. I had received a second round of radiation at U of M for a tumor that was wrapped around my carotid artery and the treatment didn�t get the whole tumor. U of M said I could receive no more radiation and surgery was not an option due to the artery. In short they offered me palliative chemo to end my days.
I went to MD Anderson for a second opinion and they agreed with U of M. I went to Memorial Sloan Kettering for a third opinion and got the same answer. I then went to the University of Pittsburgh for a forth opinion and they said they had a trial going for late stage, pre-radiated, non-operative head and neck tumors using
Erbitux and cyber knife radiation. They have devised a radiation protocol that allows for additional radiation even when all others say that is not advisable.
I went through the treatment at U Pitt in May. This consists of four treatment of
Erbitux and 5 radiation treatments over two weeks. My tumor was in my neck and measured 3 cm by 1.7 cm so it was big.
I had my two month post treatment PET/CT scan two days ago. The scan was clear. If there is any chance you can get your film to U of Pitt have your doctor put together the latest PET or CT scan on a CD and get it to:
Dr. Robert Ferris
Email;
[email protected]Address: Eye. Nose and throat specialist
203 Lothrop St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Ph: (412) 647-2100
Send him an email ASAP and tell him Tim Simon sent you. Get that film to him ASAP and he should let you know if they will take the case in 48 hours or less.
Keep in mind that I had three of the top head and neck cancer specialist in the US tell me I was dead. I have a clear PET scan from Pitt that proves them wrong.
P.S I passed out on my kitchen floor some months ago. The paramedic could not even get a heartbeat. At the hospital they said it was 30 beats a min. They were not sure what it was. I scheduled a PET scan and found out I had a recurrence. The tumor was pressing against the vagal nerve making my heart beat slow down. That�s how I found out my cancer was back.
Hope this helps.
