Jen,

When I was being treated, IMRT wasn't even available, and I'm not sure I would have been a candidate for it anyway since my tumor was poorly differentiated. While I've had some ongoing reduction in saliva and some increased sensitivity in my mouth tissues as a result of the area covered by radiation, I think it's been a small price to pay in the long run. I still have some salivary glands that function moderately well, and I've learned how to make up some of the difference with Salagen, Biotene products, water and sugarless gum.

I had my annual followup visit with my radiation oncologist yesterday, and he told me that he and some colleagues are completing a study focusing on a group of patients who were treated around the same time I was. He said their findings tend to reinforce the premise that the best long-term survival results occur in cases where the cancer is treated aggressively at the first opportunity.

Cathy