Andrea,

I really think you need to talk to the folks at Dana Farber central no matter what. This just runs so contrary to the advice they gave me (that both sides of the neck absolutely needed rad and IMRT would be used to spare the parotid) that I think you really should go to them directly for a second opinion. I assume when you said somewhere that "the board" had decided on the one-side of hte neck thing that that board was a local tumor board not anyone from DF in Boston?

I mean, the RO of the head and neck team in Boston wase willing to call the chief RO at another CCC to argue this needed to be done in my case so it seemed like it was something they feel pretty strongly about. I realize I had a couple of risk factors you may not have but I think we were/are probably equally at risk for having cancer cells in the opposite side of the neck. And I know it isn't a huge risk at all but do you want ANY risk of developing a more advanced cancer in the other side of your neck after going through this?

if you are going to get rad. done, you might as well do it right. And if they use IMRT they can do it right and still spare most of your salivary glands.

fwiw, though, wihtout the risk factors I can see why they are not recommending the chemo.

Good luck. Its hard challenging the authorities, even harder going above their heads to get somehting done right but rememebr this is YOUR life and your future, not theirs.

Nelie