 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 | Gulia, the way radiation works is not linear. Half the treatments does not translate to half the statistical gain. Radiation works (in layman's terms) by killing off tissue at a rate faster than the cancer can grow but slower than the normal tissue suffers permanent damage. This means that if you stop in the middle the cancer might actually have a new advantage (hypothetical)
I would urge him to muster the energy to continue with treatments. He can do it with help.
Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
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