Hi Cathy,

Thank you so much for your reply! In answer to some of your questions, My local hospital (Cayuga Medical) has a brand new (opened about 5 days before I was diagnosed) cancer treatment center, with IMRT, that is affiliated with Roswell Park in Buffalo, NY ( a cencer center on the NCI list). But its a brand new affiliation and I'm not sure how much the folks at Roswell Park are actively involved in decisions about cases locally, I suspect they may be still working some of that out.

So I am thinking of requesting a second opinion from Dana Farber in Boston. I have family and friends in Boston so I can travel and stay there if necessary. Actually, I am probably going to fill out their request for a second opinion form this weekend. I'm also going to try to get some clarity on whether the people at Roswell Park have given any input to my radiation oncologist's decision or whether I can ask that they be consulted as well.

I'm a little concerned since I started reading here that radiation would be on both sides of the head and neck, how that might overlap the radiation for my breast. I know the breast surgeon was assuming if I had radiation for the mouth it would be the opposite side (cancer is in right breast) and I know after that, when the tumor board at the hosptial met, the consensus was they could do both at the same time. But I know that through my ENT, I haven't talked to the radiation oncologist directly. I think I need to talk with him directly about why he thinks radiation isn't necessary and also clarify how it would work if the head and neck radiation was on both sides. Another appoitnemnt to make in between the speech therapist and the dentist and the cancer counselor and the second opinion information....

I am overjoyed to read you sing in a choir. That brought tears to my eyes. I joined a wonderful community chorus a year ago that brought such joy to my life up until January, when I was diagnosed (the first rehearsal of the year was scheduled for the next week) and I have been quietly grieving the loss of that, thinking I would never be able to sing again. You've given me some real hope.

Have you posted more information about your experience with radiation therapy and drymouth elsewhere? I have so many quesitons about it. Did you have to lose any teeth before the radiation? Has the drymouth caused dental problems since? If you've already answered these questions elsehwere, maybe you could just point me there...

I feel so glad to have found this place. I am going to a breast cancer support group that's local but truly the big issues for me right now are the ones connected to the oral cancer, which is much more scary and aggressive.

Oh--my cancer, at the time of the initial biopsy (over a month ago), was moderately differentiated. I guess I need to ask the ENT surgeon whether that has changed from when they did the last surgery.
Nelie