i'm posting this again in the current forum cuz i got no response on the general board. sorry for duplication.
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hi all,

things seem to have taken a turn for the worse on our end. i'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

chronology: my sister had a CT scan last friday, we had an appointment for 2nd opinion at USC on wednesday, met with a radiation oncologist from Loma Linda today and will be meeting with my sister's primary oncologist for decision-making on monday. 3rd round of chemo which was to be started this week has been put on hold until after our decision-making meeting.

the USC surgeon said because the growth has spread to the skin and the location of new tumor is so close to the main artery, prognosis is very poor. a second surgery would be risky and much more extensive (removal of lower left jaw and facial muscles) and reconstrution more difficult requiring muscle and skin grafts. and chance of recurrence ramain very high so he's not necessarily recommending surgical option. in his opinion my sister has 3-5 months left. we're now waiting for a comprehensive opinion from their tumor board.

radiation oncologist said because the recurrence is on the same side that has already been irradiated, another round of radiation is not likely to be considered, and proton beam radiation or IMRT wouldn't make a difference in this case. he's asked to see the original radiation films to give a final opinion.

my sister's oncologist has directly consulted MD Anderson re new/alternative chemo protocols. the only suggestion was new drug herbitax (spelling?) combined with radiation. in an informal conversation with him yesterday, he told me that because the recurrence is still local (same side as the original), there might still be a chance to control the growth through chemo and/or radiation. he thinks this will probably only buy time as the cancer is too agressive to hope for remission. how long will this buy? uncertain.

needless to say this has been a very difficult process. my sister's physically and emotionally tired of treatments and devistated by all she's been told. we're trying to tone things down this weekend and clear our minds before going in on monday to talk to my sister's oncologist.

i would like to hear any thoughts, but more specifically any advice in terms of questions to ask in the meeting and issues/options to consider in making decisions regarding what course of action to take from this point on. thank you for any feedback.

be well.

gita