Don

We all have our own opinions on TX, usually based on what our doctors have told us. I doubt that any but a very small percentage of the OCF members have had induction chemo prior to TX and the few I've seen post have had a very hard time of it. My MO at the Georgetown CCC actively opposed any TX but concurrent radiation and chemotherapy. I asked this time again and he just said the studies are not there to show it's worth especially since there are reactions like Paul's.
Of course, he's now more cautious after being fooled by the initial glowing reports of Erbitux. He will not longer prescribe it for patients due to the high rate of recurrence he has seen at my CCC, such as I had.
I wanted to hit the cancer with the latest and greatest the first time around, so I actually asked for Erbitux. Bear in mind that the gold standard for treatment is IMRT and platinum chemo (cisplatin or carboplatin). Everything else, induction, other chemos, etc has not been proven to be better and they all have additional risks. Just my opinion, but why not get another doctor's opinion? DavidCPA, our super success story, went to 4 doctors before getting his successful TX of gold standard radiation and platinum.
My other advice is to get your blood work done and tested for your TSH (thryoid hormone) level NOW, before TX. It's amazing to me how many oncologists are simply clueless and ill informed about the need to have your TSH level the same after TX as it was before TX. Instead they unthinkingly accept the lab testing fiction that any TSH level between 0.4 and 4.0 (some even go as high as 5) is "normal" and okay. No scientific basis for that at all if you cross examine them. Even my CCC was very bad on this and I had to go see an endocrinologist who went to medical school in the 21st century. It's just checking off a box on the panel tests you are getting now. What is "normal" for one individual is not normal for another. So get your TSH number now.
Charm