Congratulations! There is no consensus when a routine scan should be done post treatment, other than for any suspicions. In fact, the NCCN guidelines for the post treatment scan is recommended 3-6 months, but only for certain H&N cancers, like oropharyngeal, a few others, but only for T3 and T4 disease, and not others. This is just a guideline, and my experience at several hospitals was a scan at 3 months post treatment, and a scan every 6 months thereafter, but I never made it to that point before I had a recurrence, until yesterday. ENT's have a guideline from their professional otolaryngology society, once every 1-3 months the first year, progressing a month further apart each year, up to five years, but have visited them much sooner depending on my medical need. A recent report says the palpable is just as good in detecting cancer as a scan, but I read otherwise, that a PET scan is much better in detecting cancer than a physical exam by a certain percentage, which I forget, but was quite high, and can detect cancers as small as 5mm.

As far as dentists, I would want to visit more than once a year, probably every three months. Radiation does damage directly to the teeth, gums, as well as by the dry mouth causing demineralization of the teeth, cavities. Mine were fine post treatment in 2011, for a while, but then started to get the white spots, demineralization, and now need all my teeth removed. Some dentists do remineralization of the teeth, but I didn't do that nor did I use a dental tray or prescription fluoride, even though I knew were available.


10/09 T1N2bM0 Tonsil
11/09 Taxo Cisp 5-FU, 6 Months Hosp
01/11 35 IMRT 70Gy 7 Wks
06/11 30 HBO
08/11 RND PNI
06/12 SND PNI LVI
08/12 RND Pec Flap IORT 12 Gy
10/12 25 IMRT 50Gy 6 Wks Taxo Erbitux
10/13 SND
10/13 TBO/Angiograph
10/13 RND Carotid Remove IORT 10Gy PNI
12/13 25 Protons 50Gy 6 Wks Carbo
11/14 All Teeth Extract 30 HBO
03/15 Sequestromy Buccal Flap ORN
09/16 Mandibulectomy Fib Flap Sternotomy
04/17 Regraft hypergranulation Donor Site
06/17 Heart Attack Stent
02/19 Finally Cancer Free Took 10 yrs