Chrissy,

Has your friend been diagnosed with base of tongue cancer and NOT cancer at the base of the oral tongue? I ask because there has been some confusion in posts about that. Base of tongue is way back, in the throat and is not really visible. If that’s what she has, she might want to find out it is HPV-related. The treatment won’t be different, but my understanding is that HPV related SCC responds better to treatment.

Having a feeding tube, in my opinion, is a good move. Rads will impact swallowing about halfway through. My husband couldn’t even swallow a sip of coffee when the pain set in. A PORT is probably not necessary at this point. If she is getting chemo, it may be the three big bags (so, only 3 times) or she might get weekly, smaller doses. It’s manageable without a PORT unless she is scared of needles.

Once you find out about the treatment plan, you might want to consider if she will need a humidifier to help combat the dry mouth, a Waterpik to get rid of the gunk when the saliva thickens as a result of radiation and skin cream (this one is a MUST).

The hospital will probably arrange for a dental exam before radiation starts, as well as a hearing test (if the chemo is going to be platinum-based), a mask for the radiation treatments. They will probably give her advice about what kind of skin cream to use.

She will need to be driven to and from radiation because the fatigue is overwhelming after a while. So, getting that sorted out now is helpful.

Please let us know what other questions you may have. We are here to help. It is a tough treatment but it is doable.