Welcome MrsW!

I had a similar diagnosis as your husband, left tonsil, two involved lymph nodes, mine was stage 4a. The good part is it's HPV related, which usually responds better to treatment, and is the biggest positive prognostic factor we have. In fact, many stage lV related HPV Oropharyngeal cancers like tonsil. base of tongue, will soon be stage l or ll with the new staging system for this type of HPV disease.

There are dintensification treatments in clinical trials, and looking foward to seeing what treatment changes there will be with the new staging system, some which may already be in practice. I'll only ask if your husband has a history of smoking?

The only thing I can add, at this time, is your CCC usually have social workers that can help, and even direct to counselors to help deal with the cancer diagnosis. There are also many programs, literature, to assist caretakers, such as yourself. If you need any resources, I have some.

If you have any questions, please ask here, besides the medical team.