Hello everyone. My name is shawna and my dad has just been diagnosed recently with stage 4 throat cancer. It is in his lymph nodes as well. He is a vet and has been going to the VA hospital here in Washington state for 3.5 years complaining of swollen lymph node and they brushed him off 4 times!!!! Finally it was discovered when he went to the ER sick. I am so angry. He is not a smoker ever....but he was exposed to agent orange in vietnam. He has no insurance and is on limited disability, so we feel like our only option is to get his cancer care through the VA :*( I feel like they are terrible and I would give anything for him to be able to get good care somewhere else! Does anyone know of any programs or trials?? The VA told him that he will start treatment in october. They said it will be 6 weeks of chemo and radiation.

They said he would only have up to 5 years even with the treatment?! They told him he needs to choose his treatment which is crazy because my dad is 68 and doesnt even know anything about cancer....he doesnt even know how to turn on a computer let alone use it. They said he needs to choose between cetuximab and cisplatin. They didn't tell him anything except that cisplatin will make him sicker and he will need someone with him. I have 2 kids so I cant be with him (its a 5 hour drive to where they are sending him) but we want him to get whats going to work best regaurdless! cetuximab or cisplatin??!! I tried googling but I am not finding much on the cetuximab. Can anyone help??? Offer insight and such??? Also, they told him 6 weeks of treatment.....and didn't mention any other treatments with him. Is 6 weeks it???! I am so lost, as is he. If anyone can help us it would be such a blessing and VERY much appreciated by us both! God Bless!